


Shattering Timelines

by FiraBloom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Annoyingly cute dragons, Awkward Flirting, F/M, Harry doesn't know how to handle flirting, Independent Harry, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Marauders' Era, Powerful Harry, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:59:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 80,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5611336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiraBloom/pseuds/FiraBloom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After realizing the war destroyed almost everything he ever cared about, Harry sets out to find a way to go back in time to save his family and fix it all. Even if it means destroying his timeline in order to protect his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The End

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so don't be afraid to comment! I'm open to suggestions, people, so don't be afraid to voice your opinions!! And since I'm not an amazingly gifted writer named J.K.Rowling, I don't own Harry Potter, which is very unfortunate...

The battle had been particularly vicious. Bodies were strung across the ground like discarded dolls, and blood was slowly seeping into the ground, permanently staining the grass red. Harry dully looked across the battlefield he had once called home. Hogwarts was in ruins. It shouldn’t have ended this way. Too many had died. With a heavy sigh, Harry slowly picked his way through the bodies, trying to avoid anyone who looked too familiar.  
  
“Harry! Where are you going? You shouldn’t go off on your own. Some of the Death Eaters may have escaped!” Hermione ran up to him with Ron trailing slightly behind her.  
  
Harry quickly scanned the two of them, cataloging any injuries. He hadn’t seen them since the beginning of the battle. Hermione’s hair was matted in blood and mud, and her right arm was disturbing limp, implying it had been dislocated sometime during the battle. Half of Ron’s face was covered in blood from a large gash on his forehead, and he was walking with a severe limp. Both of them had various cuts ranging from frivolous to critical scattered throughout their bodies. Harry smiled slightly. Even though they were both injured, they could have been much, much worse.  
  
“Grimmauld Place. I just… I need to get away from all of this,” Harry said, gesturing to all the carnage surrounding them.  
  
Hermione looked torn. “Just promise to be careful, Harry. We don’t want to lose you after just winning the war.”  
  
Ron jumped in at that point. “Yeah, mate, we don’t want you to die again,” Ron said sending Harry a sharp glare as if it would keep him from doing anything stupid.  
  
Harry gave his two friends a small smile. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to not die,” He said before turning away and disapparating with a crack.  
  
He appeared on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place seconds later. With a sigh, Harry walked into the place that reminded him the most of his godfather. The place was cleaner than when the Order had tried to clean it out when he was fifteen. The house was now fit for a king, if not a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Although everything had been polished until it shown, the house was still extremely dark and seemed to ooze dark magic. Thankfully, the house’s magic would protect him from outsiders since he was the head of house. The magic almost felt comforting to him after spending so much time on the run, even if it was dark.  
  
With a pop, Kreacher appeared in front of Harry. “Master Harry is back! Is you alright, Master Harry?” Kreacher questioned when he caught sight of him.  
  
Harry knew he looked terrible. He was covered in blood, a mixture of his own and the people he fought and killed on the battlefield. His clothes were dirty and threadbare with slits from cutting curses littered throughout them. But what made him look so terrible were the numerous injuries he had. Harry couldn’t remember a time when he was in more pain. Not even during his stay at the Dursleys. His left leg was badly broken, causing severe pain whenever he walked, both of his arms were fractured if not broken, and his ribs felt as if somebody had repeatedly taken a sledgehammer to them.  
  
“Don’t worry, Kreacher. I’ll be fine. Just help me to the kitchen, will you?” Harry said before staggering slightly and leaning heavily on the house elf. Slowly Kreacher helped Harry into the kitchen before depositing him on a chair.  
  
“Is there anythings Kreacher can do to help Master Harry?” Kreacher asked, wringing his hands.  
  
“Get me the strongest Firewhiskey there is in the house, Kreacher. I need a drink.” Harry mumbled before slumping over the kitchen table. He was exhausted. Harry had mainly been running on adrenaline and fear for the past three days. In fact, he doubted he had slept at all during the three days of the battle. Although the DA had fought in shifts to keep people from reaching magical exhaustion, it didn’t mean they actually stopped preparing for the fight. Harry, himself, had spent most of the time he was supposed to be ‘resting’ thinking of ways to get through the ring of Death Eaters that protected Voldemort.  
  
Kreacher popped away before reappearing with a large bottle of Ogden's Finest and a tumbler. Harry mumbled a thank you before snatching the bottle away from Kreacher and telling the house elf to leave him alone for awhile. He quickly uncorked the bottle and took a gulp of the burning whiskey, completely foregoing the glass Kreacher had left on the table.  
  
Harry didn’t care what others would think of him if they saw him like this, beaten and drinking his way into a stupor. Harry had lost almost everything he cared about. He needed to stop thinking. He needed to get away from all the death and destruction that was his life. He needed to forget all the lives that had been lost trying to stop the insane crusade of a mad wizard with a superiority complex. He would mourn later. He would try to rebuild his life later. But now, he needed to forget everything that was causing him pain. Harry would become the Golden Boy that everyone expected him to be tomorrow, but tonight, he would slip into the blissful darkness that would wash away all his pain.


	2. Self-Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry barricades himself in Grimmauld Place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two, people! Hope you like it! Tell me what you think, and don't be afraid to comment!

Harry hated the Wizarding world sometimes. Alright, most of the time. He couldn’t help it. He had fought their war. He had killed for them, something he swore he would never do, and yet they wanted to know why he wasn’t out there celebrating with the rest of the wizarding community.  
  
Harry threw down the Daily Prophet in disgust. Evidently, people were wondering why the ‘Man-Who-Conquered’, as they had now dubbed him, had gone into a self-exile. Harry snarled at the small picture of Rita Skeeter that was waving at him from the pages of the paper before flicking his fingers at it and watching it burst into flame. As if he wanted to go anywhere near the wizarding world right now. Now that they had finished burying the dead, they were out celebrating and begging for their supposed savior to lead them once more.  
  
Even though Harry despised the Wizarding world right now, it wasn’t the main reason why he had secluded himself in Grimmauld Place for the past month. No, the main reason he had hidden himself away was because he couldn’t control his magic. Ever since the Final Battle his magic had been very...violent. He couldn’t control it nearly as well as he used to. Whenever he was angry, things would catch on fire. Whenever he was upset, an unearthly wind would blow around him. And in one memorable moment, Harry accidently threw Kreacher across the room because the house elf had scared him so badly.  
  
It had all started when Harry had tried to use his holly wand for the first time since he had repaired it with the Elder wand. He had tried to cast a simple Incendio charm, but the wand had exploded in his hand, burning his hand rather severely. There was nothing left of the wand that he had cherished so much. Now, Harry was forced to use the Elder wand whenever he required any major spell work to be done.  
  
No matter how many times Harry had tried to get rid of the wand, it kept coming back. In fact, all the Hallows kept coming back. He couldn’t get rid of them (not that he wanted to get rid of the invisibility cloak). He’d try to throw the ring and wand away, but the ring would appear on his finger and the wand in the wand holster he kept on him at all times. Harry was beginning to think his sudden influx of power had something to do with the Deathly Hallows, and he couldn’t do anything about it.  
  
With a loud pop, Kreacher appeared in front of him. “Filthy Mudblood wants to be allowed in, Master Harry,” Kreacher said with a scowl.  
  
Harry groaned. “No doubt, she wants me to go out and do my ‘civic duty’. Thanks for telling me, Kreacher,” Harry grumbled before forcing himself to go to the door.  
  
With a heavy sigh, Harry prepared himself for the upcoming fight. He quickly drew the Elder wand before opening the door a crack.  
  
“What’s worse than dying?” he questioned warily.  
  
Hermione gave him an exasperated look. “Really? Come on, Harry! It’s been months since the war was over! Why do you still insist on doing this?”  
  
“Answer the question.” Harry continued to glare at her through the tiny crack.  
  
“Fine! Fine, the answer’s ‘expulsion’! Now let me in, Harry,” She said with a huff before forcing her way past Harry and into the hallway.  
  
“Of course, Hermione. Please, do come in. No need to linger outside,” Harry grumbled sarcastically. “What do you want?”  
  
Hermione crossed her arms and sent a sharp glare at him as if she wanted to scold him for being so rude. “Harry, you have to leave this house sometime! It’s not healthy! I’m...I’m worried for you,” Hermione faltered at the end, slumping slightly.  
  
Harry ran his hand through his hand in frustration. Only she could make him feel annoyed and guilty at the same time. “I told you, Hermione! I don’t want to go anywhere near the Wizarding world! Hell, the one time I went out, I was practically mobbed with people asking if I was going to run for Minister! Minister! I’m not even eighteen yet!”  
  
“Look at it from their point of view. You’re their hero. You saved us all. Of course, they think you’d be a great leader,” Hermione said beseechingly.  
  
“But that is not what I want to do, Hermione! I don’t want any more lives depending on me. I just want to be normal.” Harry sighed as if pushed past her into the kitchen. Why could nobody understand that he just wanted to be left alone?  
  
Hermione ran to catch up to him. “Well, at least, come to the memorial for everyone who died in the wars. They’re supposed to be commemorating your parents and Dumbledore,” Hermione said hopefully as she shoved her way in front of Harry, completely blocking his way into the kitchen.  
  
“You know there is no love lost between me and Dumbledore. He was a manipulative old bastard who used us to further his own agenda.” Harry pushed her out of the way.  
  
She should know by know how much he hated Dumbledore. He had left Harry with his abusive relatives and refused to let him leave even after the blood wards had fallen. Hell, Dumbledore had even refused to train Harry. He had basically shoved Harry into the war with no preparation at all except for a few measly memories that barely even helped him find the Horcruxes. Dumbledore had turned Harry into a soldier with no training.  
  
“You can’t possibly mean that, Harry!! He did so much for us! The least you can do is go to the memorial!” Hermione said outraged.  
  
“He controlled our lives! Of course, I mean it! He was the chess master, and we were the pieces! Can’t you see that?”  
  
Hermione looked utterly baffled. “He was the leader of the Light. He was doing what he thought was right.”  
  
“Please, like he honestly cared about right and wrong. It was all just a game to him,” Harry watched his friend’s reaction. When she still looked slightly outraged, he turned away with a sigh.  
  
“Just go away, Hermione. I want to be alone,” Harry mumbled.  
  
Hermione must have realized she wasn’t going to win the argument. “At least, go outside sometime this week. You’re almost as pale as a ghost,” She tried to joke. Too bad it was true.  
  
When Harry refused to answer Hermione slumped even further. She looked as if she had aged twenty years. The war had caused everyone to age it seemed. “Please, Harry. Go outside.” She gave him one last look before turning away and walking out of the house.  
  
Harry waited until he heard the door click closed. “Kreacher,” he called. With a pop, the house elf appeared before him.  
  
“Whats can I do for Master Hary?” The house elf asked.  
  
Harry glanced down the hallway. “Make sure she’s gone, and didn’t leave any nasty surprises, Kreacher.”  
  
The house elf scuttled down the hallway glaring at the walls as if they would tell him if Hermione done anything. Harry wouldn’t put it past his brilliant friend to leave some kind of spell behind that would force him to leave the house.  
  
Kreacher came back a dark scowl on his face. “Mudblood Witch left nasty spell, Master, but Kreacher fixed it.”  
  
“Kreacher, she may not be my best of friends right now, but that doesn’t give you the right to call her a mudblood.” Harry was getting tired with the house elf’s bigoted ways. He may be useful and extremely loyal to the house of Black, but his hatred towards those with less than pure blood would never change. Kreacher gave a slight nod before continuing his grumbling.  
  
Although Harry hated to admit it, Hermione was right. He was wasting away in this house. He needed to find something to do or else he’d go mad.  
  
Harry glanced around the dark house he had come to call home. It still oozed darkness but something seemed to be missing.  
  
“Kreacher?”  
  
The house elf looked up, curious.  
  
“When the order was cleaning out this place, were you able to save most of the stuff they were going to throw out?” Harry asked.  
  
Kreacher’s eyes grew large before shaking his head. “K-Kreacher could only save a few things,” he started fiddling with the locket around his neck, “KREACHER, FAILED MISTRESS! SHE WOULD BE SO, SO ANGRY WITHS KREACHER!!!” Kreacher wailed, fat crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks.  
  
“Kreacher! Kreacher, it’s alright,” harry shouted, but his words didn’t seem to register with the house elf, “Kreacher, what if I said I wanted it all back?!?”  
  
The wails stopped as soon as they started. The house elf’s eyes were huge and watery. “Y-you mean that, Master Harry?”  
  
Harry quickly nodded. “Do you know what the Order did with the items? I know they practically cleaned out the library when they were getting rid of anything dark. Do you think we can get everything back?”  
  
“Kreacher can finds everything! He swears it!” Kreacher claimed with a determined look.  
  
Harry chuckled lightly. “Ok, Kreacher, if they sold anything you can use money from my account to buy it back, alright? But let’s make this house what it used to be.”  
  
Kreacher laughed, bouncing up and down. “Kreacher starts right now, Master Harry!! Kreacher starts right now!!” The house elf disappeared with a slightly louder crack than normal.  
  
Harry looked at the spot where Kreacher had just vacated. He shook his head. “Merlin, what have I gotten myself into?”


	3. Books, Books, and More Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kreacher went overload finding things the Order threw out, which causes Harry to find a mysterious book...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! So here's chapter three! Hope you guys like it. Don't be afraid to comment! Tell me what you think.

Harry stared in awe at the huge piles of artifacts surrounding him. “Don’t you… Don’t you think this is a bit much, Kreacher?” Harry weakly asked his bustling house elf.  
  
Kreacher looked up, confused. “Master Harry wanted Black’s heritage back. Kreacher gots some of it back for him. Kreacher still needs to finds the Noble House of Blacks’ Grimoire.”  
  
“Well, I just wanted it to be like it was originally. I didn’t think the Order had gotten rid of so many things. Did they realize how important some of this stuff is?” Harry mumbled to himself, carefully picking up a book that claimed to have been written by Merlin. “Wait, grimoire? The Blacks’ had a family grimoire?”  
  
Kreacher nodded rather proudly. “The house of Black has always kept the grimoire! It goes centuries and centuries backs! Its carries many important things!” Kreacher loudly proclaimed. “Kreacher promises to get it backs!”  
  
Harry looked at the artifacts around him, extremely puzzled. “How could they get rid of the family grimoire? Hell, most pureblood families don’t even have a grimoire anymore. They’ve all been destroyed,” he mumbled to himself, “Surely the Order was not that bigoted as to get rid of the family grimoire because it had a few dark spells in it!” He didn’t even know if the Potters had originally had a grimoire, and here the Order of the Phoenix had given the Blacks’ book away.  
  
Harry shook his head. He had come a lot further than the boy who originally believed that dark magic was the root of all evil. He had come to realize many things during the war. He realized that the reason people had labeled certain magics as ‘dark’ was because it was more powerful than other magics that had been deemed safer. In fact, Harry had mainly fought with dark magic throughout the war. The spells were significantly stronger, and the Death Eaters expected and knew how to counter light magic.  
  
The Ministry was the main reason why people feared dark magic. Anything they could not control or understand was labeled dark, and Harry truly hated the Ministry for it. Poor Andromeda had been forced to take Teddy into hiding not even a few weeks after her daughter and son-in-law had died because the Ministry had labeled half-breeds as dark creatures. Only Harry knew where their safehouse was.  
  
Although Harry’s opinion on the dark arts had changed for the better, many others had changed for the worse. People began to associate dark magic with evil since Voldemort mainly used dark magic. Even now, after the war, there was still a strong stigma against anything considered dark. Werewolves and half-breeds such as people who were part werewolf or part vampire were now being considered dark creatures and forced into camps where the Ministry had full control over them. It was rumored that the Ministry was beginning to force anybody with creature blood in their family line to register, another way for the Ministry to try to control something they claimed was dark. Harry was almost thankful Remus wasn’t around to see what the world had come to.  
  
Harry’s own friends didn’t even agree with him on dark magic. Both Ron and Hermione claimed it darkened the soul every time a somebody used dark magic. He and his friends had had many fights about whether or not they should use dark spells during the war. They couldn’t accept it at all. Because of his friends strong condemnation of the dark arts, Harry had been careful what kind of spells he used around them during the war. Whenever they were near, he forced himself to only use light magic, even if he got injured more when he did so, but as the war drew on, he began to use darker and darker spells until he only used grey spells during battle. The darker the magic he used, the further away his two best friends pulled. Towards the end of the war, they were barely talking to him and always made sure he was being watched carefully by someone they deemed acceptable. Harry hadn’t even been casting dark spells at the time! He had made sure he had cast strictly grey spells around his friends, but even that had caused them to think he was going dark.  
  
After the war, his friends had slowly but surely separated themselves from Harry. Even though they used to be his best friends, Harry was sure they were the ones that had started the rumors that he was going dark, and although most of the Wizarding world still claimed him as their hero, it was only a matter of time before people started to believe the rumors. The Wizarding world had always been fickle like that. They had turned their backs on him more times than he could count. One moment they would be begging Harry to go save them, and the next they were wanting to throw him behind bars.  
  
Harry shook his head as if it would throw the depressing thoughts from it. He carefully started to sort through all the artifacts. The Blacks had many rare books that Harry knew Hermione would do anything to get her hands on. Hundreds of books were in the many piles and stacks scattered around the room. There were many books that discussed the nature of magic and where it came from. There were books on spell casting, wards, and wandless magic. Countless books were dedicated to blood magic. Harry even found three books that had been written by Rowena Ravenclaw, herself.  
  
“Kreacher,” Harry said after he sorted through one of the many piles around him, “how much of the Black’s library is still missing?” The Blacks’ library had been impressive when he first arrived at the house when he was fifteen. Even though he despised dark magic then, Harry knew that knowledge was power, and the Black library was full of knowledge. Not that it stayed that way for long. Once Mrs. Weasley had realized what exactly was in the library she had been letting Harry browse, she threw a fit and demanded that everything pertaining to dark magic be removed. Since she was the one who led the raid against the library, most of the books were thrown out. Mrs. Weasley had single-handedly destroyed the enormous source of knowledge that the Blacks had tried so hard to make over their many lifetimes.  
  
Kreacher looked up from sorting through his own pile. “Kreacher found most of family’s heirlooms, but Kreacher only found small part of Master’s library,” Kreacher disappointedly said, his hand inching toward one of the thicker books in his pile.  
  
Harry's eyes were quick because of the many years of watching for Uncle Vernon’s temper, quidditch, and being on the run during the war. “You’re not allowed to punish yourself, Kreacher! I’m sure you’re doing the most you can!”  
  
The house elf reluctantly let go of the book, nodding. “Kreacher promises he will do better! He will gets everythings back for Master!” Kreacher said determinedly.  
  
Harry gave Kreacher a small smile. “Just do your best. It’s okay if you can’t get everything back,” he said before pausing briefly, “...Just make sure you do everything in your power to find the family grimoire if you would. That is one thing that should not have been removed from this house.” Harry’s face darkened with his words.  
  
Kreacher started nodding vigorously. “Kreacher promises! He will find the grimoire! Kreacher starts looking right now!”  
  
Kreacher bounced up on unsteady feet. Harry watched him, slightly worried. The house elf was getting old, and there were many dangerous artifacts in the towering stacks surrounding them.  
  
“Be careful, Kreacher you might-,” Harry was cut off by the tiny house elf toppling over and knocking a stack over which subsequently fell into another stack and another, “fall...”  
  
Harry quickly tried to scramble to get out of the way of the falling books and ancient artifacts but tripped over the small stacks of books he had been sorting. The largest pile of books swayed dangerously in front of him; one large book fell from the top before it returned to its original position.  
  
Harry let out a sigh of relief. That would have been just his luck, being killed by a stack of books about the dark arts. Ron always did say dark magic would kill him. Did it count if what killed him wasn’t a true spell?  
  
Harry shook his head before getting up. A howl distracted him. “ I’S SO SORRY MASTER HARRY!!” Kreacher wailed throwing himself at Harry’s feet, “KREACHER IS TERRIBLY SORRY MASTER!!!” The house elf continued to wail, fearfully looking up at Harry.  
  
“Kreacher! Kreacher, it’s fine! I’m okay! It was just an accident! I don’t blame you!” Harry said, trying to calm the hysterical house elf. “Are you alright?”  
  
Kreacher looked up at him with wide, teary eyes. “Master is worried about Kreacher?” he asked confused before his eyes teared up again, “Master Harry is truly like Master Regulus!! Master Harry is too good to Kreacher!” Kreacher began to wail again.  
  
Harry looked down at the sobbing house elf with a mixture of annoyance and pity. Harry rubbed his hand through his hair, trying to get rid of an increasing headache. “Kreacher, I order you to stop crying!” Harry finally snapped at him. Kreacher’s jaw immediately snapped shut. Harry continued, “Kreacher, I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re both fine! There is no need to be upset. I’m not going to punish you, understood?” Kreacher slowly nodded.  
  
“Now that we’ve established we’re both fine, how about we go back to our original tasks? I believe you were about the important task of finding the grimoire.” Harry said, raising an eyebrow. Kreacher’s head snapped up. “Kreacher’s sorry for not starting sooner! Kreacher starts now!” The house elf disappeared from where he was kneeling with a loud pop. Harry shook his head in exasperation. “House elves, they’re gonna be the death of me.”  
  
He looked around the room before groaning. The room was in utter chaos. All but two of the hectically stacked piles had fallen. Books were everywhere. There wasn’t a spot on the floor in the room that wasn’t covered in something or the other. If it wasn’t books, it was ancient artifacts. The Blacks’ family tea set had been scattered, the teapot almost being crushed by the book, The Entire History of the Wizarding World, the largest book in the room. The teapot must have been charmed for it to be able to endure that kind of pressure.  
  
Harry slowly began to pick up everything that had fell. He picked up the book that had fallen from the pile that had almost crushed him. It was a dark emerald color with a strange crest on the cover. The cover looked as if it was made of scales but were unlike any he had ever seen, including the scales from the basilisk he had killed in his second year. The book had a weird crest of a dragon taking flight embossed in silver on the cover. A large metal dragon with bared fangs and eyes made of emerald was the only locking mechanism for it. Harry glanced at the weird lock. There was no keyhole. 'Huh, must be opened by magic,' Harry thought to himself.  
  
Harry looked at the book, curiously. He turned the book over looking for any kind of summary or writing, but as he did so, his thumb slipped, cutting his finger on one of the fangs of the dragon. Harry glared at the metal dragon before sticking his finger in his mouth and continued to look for any kind of title or summary of the book, ignoring the stinging pain in this thumb. Something cold wrapped around his wrist in a vice-like grip. Harry shrieked, which he would later come to deny, and dropped the book, but the heaviness on his wrist remained.  
  
The intricate dragon that had been the lock was now tightly coiled around his wrist, it’s head resting lightly on the back of his hand. Harry slowly lifted his wrist up to eye level, trying not to disturb it in case it bit him. Now that it wasn’t attached to the book, Harry could see it was a lot more lifelike than should have been possible, even with magic. He carefully brought his face closer to the metal beast. Its extremely delicate wings looked like they could be crushed with barely a touch were slightly outstretched, giving it the look that it was going to get ready to fly. It had talons as sharp as knives pricking into his forearm, a sharp, barbed tail that tight curled around his arm, and detailed scales all over its body, even around the emerald eyes… Which were now glaring at him. Harry wrenched his head back just the metal dragon lifted its head and breathed fire the size of a flame from a cigarette lighter at him.  
  
Harry immediately kept his arm as far away from him as possible. “How much do I truly need my hand?” Harry grumbled to himself as he carefully bent down to pick up the book from the floor while keeping his arm elevated. Since the dragon lock was gone, he could easily open the book. He flipped through the pages to see if there was anything that would tell him how to get rid of the dragon, but everything was written in a strange flowing language he had never seen before. Groaning in disappointment, Harry turned to the front pages to look for a title. 'Maybe I can get Hermione to research the book without her demanding to know where I got it,' Harry thought to himself. He shook his head before turning to the very first page. There, written in bright green ink, was a name he did not want to see. Salazar Slytherin. Harry dropped his arm in astonishment, before cursing as the dragon bit him for startling it. “Great, just what I needed! A dragon stuck on my arm and a book written by Salazar Slytherin that I can't read! Why do these things always happen to me?”


	4. Stupid Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry hates dragons and talking portraits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back! I hope you like this chapter. I'm sorry it took longer than the others, but I have been really busy. Hopefully, I've made up for it by making this chapter longer! Don't be afraid to comment, and tell me what you think!

Harry glared down at the book before sighing. He opened it again. “Maybe I can find something to translate it,” he mumbled to himself. He focused on the flowing language once more. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

The dragon fidgeted on his wrist, causing him to jump. “You have something to do with this, don’t you?” Harry said, glaring at the metal dragon. The silver dragon just cocked his head at him before clamping its jaws down on Harry’s hand. “Son of a bitch!” Harry cursed, dropping the book while trying to shake the dragon off. The dragon glared at him and released something into his bloodstream through the bite. “Shit, are you poisonous?!?” Harry yelped. It was a metal freaking dragon; it shouldn’t be able to inject him with poison! Hell, it shouldn’t even be able to move for that matter. Merlin, sometimes Harry really hated magic. 

The dragon finally let go of his hand, looking quite proud of itself. Harry could feel whatever it was the dragon had infected him with racing through his system. He started to sway before collapsing completely as his vision grew hazy. The dragon looked up at him curiously before leaving his wrist and flying over to his face. The silver dragon nudged his nose worriedly cocking his head. “Yeah, you stupid beast..” Harry gasped, “you did this...to me.”

Harry tried to pick himself up, but he didn’t have the strength to. He collapsed back to the floor with a groan. The dragon nudged him again. “Go...away..” Harry moaned, trying to swat at the metal dragon. It quickly moved away from the offending hand. The metal dragon glared at Harry before pointedly turned away from him and sticking its snout in the air, smoke rising from its nostrils.

Excruciating pain began to radiate from the dragon bite, slowly spreading throughout his body. It was burning him from the inside out. Harry screamed. The pain was just as bad as the Cruciatus Curse, if not worse. While the Cruciatus felt like you were being repeatedly stabbed throughout your body, this poison felt like somebody had poured molten lava into his veins. He didn’t know how much more he could stand this. Of course, he would die like this. Alone with a freaking metal dragon mad at him because he yelled at it.

Slowly the pain began to get worse. “Kreach-...Kreacher,” Harry whispered, “Help...me…” His vision was becoming black around the edges.

A faint pop sounded in the room. His vision was becoming blurry, but a vague figure was gesturing frantically in front of him. Harry swatted at the figure, trying to get it to go away because its frantic movements were making his head hurt worse. He heard a jumble a noise but didn’t understand it since it was almost silent. Something silver suddenly flitted in front of him. The dragon! Harry tried to hit it, furious that something so little was causing him so much pain, but it danced out of the way of Harry’s slow fists. The movement was too much for Harry, though, and he blacked out completely as the dragon nudged his cheek.

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 Harry woke slowly, at first. He was confused. Why was he in bed? Then it all came back to him. Telling Kreacher to return everything taken from Grimmauld Place, finding that green book, and being bitten by that stupid miniature dragon! Harry snapped up before falling back down to the bed with a moan. His whole body hurt. It seemed to radiate from the bite. Harry groaned and slowly lifted his arm. The bite mark was an ugly, deep red, and the veins surrounding it were an ugly black color that faded out the further up his hand the veins went. Damn dragon.

“Kreacher?” Harry groaned before rolling over and pulling the covers over his head. Something heavy was on his wrist… again. “Kreacher!”

Kreacher popped into the room. “Master Harry! Is you feeling better? Is you in pain? What can Kreacher do?” Kreacher asked nervously as he wrung his hands together.

“Make me feel better,” Harry moaned pitifully from under the covers, “And get this stupid dragon off my wrist!”

Kreacher glanced at Harry before looking down. “Kreacher’s sorry, Master, but Kreacher don’t know how. Kreacher tried to heal Master but… house elf magic didn’t work.” 

Harry snapped the covers away from his head. “What do you mean you can’t heal me! Are you kidding me? Can you at least get this stupid animal off my wrist?” Harry yelped as the dug its claws into his arm. “Now, preferably!”

Kreacher looked down again. “Kreacher couldn’t do that either,” Kreacher whispered. Harry moaned. “Can you do anything?” Harry grumbled but sighed when he saw Kreacher reach for the bedside lamp. “Don’t punish yourself for something you can’t do, Kreacher. That’s an order. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just not feeling well.”

Harry moaned before covering his head with the covers once more. He glared at the offending piece of metal on his wrist. “This is all your fault, you know,” he glared at the dragon that was curled around his wrist, seemingly asleep. “Wait, all your fault…” Harry whispered in revelation, “Kreacher, get the emerald book with the dragon on the front of it!”

He heard Kreacher pop away before he reappeared. “Here’s the book, Master. Is there anything else Kreacher can do?” Kreacher asked quietly. Harry mumbled no before reaching out blindly for the book. The book was placed in his hand before Kreacher left. Harry quickly pulled the book under the covers with him and sat up slightly forming a tent. “There has to be something in here that I can translate,” Harry flipped through the book.

Harry scanned through the first page before flipping to the next. He paused before turning back to the first page. He could understand it. He could actually read it even though it was still in the strange, flowing language that it had been yesterday. Harry glanced down at the sleeping dragon on his wrist. “What the fuck did you do to me?” Harry whispered before beginning to read.

‘ _If you are reading this, you have been chosen like I was._ ’ Great that sounded ominous. ‘ _There are many secrets in the universe, magic being one of them, but there are a select few who are made privy to all of the world’s secrets. Merlin was the first, I was the second, and now you are the third. Both of us had power in our own right, but this, this turned us into so much more. Our legacies will live on forever, although for different reasons. Merlin was revered as a god among men to the wizarding world, whereas I, I became this world’s villain and scapegoat for everything that has gone wrong in it. Neither of us got what we wanted. We didn’t use the knowledge in this book properly, and that destroyed both of our lives. Use this knowledge carefully and wisely, for this is the knowledge of the dragons, the oldest living creature in the universe. The dragon on your wrist right now was once ours. She protected us and helped us through our difficulties. Kali will defend you until your dying breath even if you make the wrong choices. I speak from experience since she never left me when all my friends did. She chose us, and now she has chosen you. I wish you the best of luck whoever you are. Don’t become like us. Power is a tantalizing and dangerous thing; it may be your redemption, but it may also be your doom. I wish you the best of luck._ ~ _Sincerely Salazar Slytherin._

Harry looked at the book in shock. “What did I just get myself into?” 

\-------------------------------------Line-Break-----------------------------------------------

Harry had studied the book obsessively for the past two weeks. It was so… so amazing. Knowledge on the Old Magicks were explained in vivid detail, even though the Ministry claimed the knowledge had been lost in the goblin wars and witch trials. Harry could now understand completely why a person had to be chosen to receive the knowledge in the book. It was dangerous, even deadly, depending on the way it was used. Blood magic, sacrificial magic, and necromancy were all things that could cause mass panic and mayhem if it was released to the Ministry, let alone the wizarding world. Harry had studied every word written in the book.

Even though he had studied everything in the book, it never spoke of Kali, or how Harry could get the insufferable dragon off his wrist. Kali was a mystery. The book never stated how she was created. Harry wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t been made at all, even though the dragon was made entirely out of silver which was unfortunate for him. Kali refused to leave him alone. Either she would wrap tightly around his wrist, leaving deep impressions in his skin, or lay lazily around his neck. Whenever he would badmouth her or forcefully try to remove her, Kali would either bite or burn him. Once, when he had said something particularly vicious to Kali, she had given him painful third-degree burns on the back of his hand that took much longer than normal to heal.  

Kreacher was still bringing Black family artifacts back daily, although he still hadn’t found the ever elusive grimoire. Many supposedly ‘light’ families had the Black family heirlooms. Harry had given Kreacher special permission to leave particularly cruel surprises for anyone who had stolen something of the Blacks’. So many items had been returned Grimmauld Place, that they had been forced to turn the drawing room into a storage room for all the artifacts while Harry tried to sort through everything, but as time went on and Kreacher kept bringing books and other dark items, piles of things were carelessly stacked outside of the drawing room because Harry had stopped everything in order to study the dragon book. 

Kreacher was returning more items than Harry thought had been thrown out. He later found out by going through bank statements from the time he was on the run that Mrs. Weasley had almost cleaned out the entire Black family vault. When Harry questioned Kreacher about it, he had claimed that Dumbledore had given her permission to ‘clean out any dark items’ from the vault, not even a week after Sirius had died. Turns out over half the Black fortune was a ‘dark item’. The Weasley family, Ron especially, had not been happy when they received a court order demanding the return of the funds. When Ron had found out about the order, he had stormed up to Grimmauld Place to demand Harry recall the order. The only problem with that was the fact that Harry had barred all entrance through the wards. After Ron realized that he couldn’t get in, he almost blew up the street.

Harry shook his head. Yes, a lot of things had happened in the short amount of time he had found the book.  

A loud crack sounded in the room. “Master Harry! Kreacher found the grimoire!” Kreacher shouted loudly, running up to him.

Harry looked down at him in shock. “Really? You found it? I was beginning to think the Order had destroyed it.” Harry reached for the old, black book in Kreacher’s hands. “Where’d you find it?”

Kreacher scowled menacingly. “Nasty old blood traitor stole it from its rightful owner. He hid it with the rest of his treasures, but Kreacher stoles it back,” Kreacher said with a proud smile.

“Old blood traitor,” Harry contemplated, “Do you mean Dumbledore?”

Kreacher hastily nodded his head. “He had it hidden in his vault but Kreacher gots it back.” 

Harry looked down at Kreacher with a sigh. “Vault? Should I be concerned about goblins demanding reimbursement for yet  _ another  _ theft from their bank?”

Kreacher froze before shaking his head uncertainly, his eyes downcast. 

“I’ll deal with that when it happens,” Harry grumbled before starting to look at the old book. The black leather of the book was soft and worn because of the amount of use it had survived. The book’s pages were cracked and yellowing, hanging out slightly from their bindings. Harry carefully flipped through the pages. The writing varied from fading passages that could barely be read to passages that looked as if they had just recently been written into the book. Strange pictures were drawn in to describe various magical items or creatures. The book was filled with pages detailing complex spells or potions from generations ago.

Kali stirred from the spot on his rest, seeming to wake from her previous slumber. She cocked her head curiously and looked at the book carefully. Harry glanced at her, worried. She had never had a reaction like that to anything before, and it could only mean trouble for him.

“I can’t believe you actually found it. Good job,” Harry said trying to ignore the odd behavior of the dragon. Kreacher preened under the compliment. Harry smiled slightly at the small house elf. “Thank you for getting this for me. Was anything else taken from the Black family?” 

Kreacher shook his head. “Kreacher founded everything stolen from the great house of Black. The grimoire was the last thing Kreacher needed to finds.”

Harry sighed with relief. “Finally! I was beginning to think we would never be able to get into the drawing room. Thanks, Kreacher. You’re dismissed for now,” He said and began to walk down the hallway.

Kali suddenly snapped up straight and took flight from Harry’s wrist. She launched herself down the hallway towards a place Harry considered one of the most dangerous places in the house.

“Hey! Stop you might wake her up!” Harry whispered-shouted at the dragon. Kali ignored his pleas and crashed into the curtains covering Mrs. Black’s portrait. Her metal claws tore into the silk curtains, leaving large gashes in the fabric as she tried to find leverage to climb up them. 

“Stop! Stop,  _ please! _ ” Harry whispered in desperation as he ran up to her. Kali glared up at him before she gave a vicious yank to the curtains tearing them completely from the curtain rod. Screams emitted from the portrait immediately. Harry groaned and glared at the pathetic squirming pile of curtains that covered Kali. “There are times when I truly  _ hate _ you, you stupid beast.” Kali peaked her head up through one of the tears in the fabric. She flicked her tongue out at him before pointedly sticking her nose up in the air, ignoring him.

“BLOOD TRAITORS! MUDBLOODS! IN  _ MY _ HOUSE! HOW DARE YOU SULLY THE LEGACY OF THE BLACK FAMILY WITH YOUR FILTHY BLOOD! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU DESPICABLE BOY!” Walburga shrieked from her place on the wall. Harry flinched slightly, trying to ignore how much she sounded like Aunt Petunia at the last sentence.

Harry scrambled to untangle Kali from the curtains so he could put them up again, the loud shrieks spurring him on. He unceremoniously ripped the dragon from the curtains and dropped her to the ground. He reached for his wand before groaning with frustration when he remembered that his magic had been acting up lately; he was going to have to do this manually. He lifted the curtains up when the screams suddenly stopped. Hesitantly, Harry lowered the curtains to see what had caused Walburga to stop.

The proud woman was gaping at where Kali was sprawled out on the floor looking rather indignant. “You… You’ve been chosen?” Walburga whispered in shock.

“Yes?” Harry answered, watching her warily. “No? I’m not sure what the right answer is here.”

Walburga threw a deadly glare at him. “You foolish boy. Have you been chosen by  _ Potentia Dracones Praecedentes  _ or not?”

“Potentia Draconis what?” Harry asked her, confused.

Walburga sniffed. “The  _ book _ , you rude boy! Have you been chosen by it or not?”

Kali hopped over to Harry and gently nudged his leg. “Yeah. Yeah, I was chosen by it, or, well, Kali actually did the choosing,” Harry said awkwardly, motioning to the dragon.

Walburga looked at him in shock. She gave him an appraising look. “So you have been deemed worthy of the dragon’s name.”

Harry laughed nervously. “Well, it is just a name. I don’t think it’s that important.”

Walburga glared at him sharply. “You insolent boy! Names have a great importance! They give you power over the person! How were  _ you _ chosen if you don’t even know the simplest of magics?” 

“Hey, I know things!” Harry said outraged, “I’ve studied that book for weeks now! I don’t claim to know everything about magic, but I know the basics! I was taught at Hogwarts, and I was forced to study everything and I mean  _ everything _ one of my friends deemed important! She forced me to study all of her classes as well as my own! I lived through a war, and that is a testament to my knowledge of magic!”,

She sneered down at him. “Then the school’s curriculum is severely lacking. You truly are pathetic if you think living through a war is testament to your knowledge of magic.”

Harry looked at her in thinly veiled disgust. “I’ll have you know that some very magically intellectual people were killed in the war, including your precious Dark Lord.” Walburga’s head snapped up. “And this ‘pathetic’ boy has been the one trying to restore the house of Black to greatness! I have turned this house into the majestic place that it once was instead of the filthy dump  _ you _ let it turn into! I have returned everything that has been stolen, including your family grimoire. Guess I shouldn’t have if this is the thanks I get for doing it,” Harry said before stalking away.

“Wait!” her quiet voice called. He ignored it and walked further down the hallway. A shrill cry sounded from behind him before Kali flew in front of him and landed on the floor. “Move, you stupid animal,” Harry grumbled as he tried to pass her. She simply hopped in front of him and hissed, baring her teeth. Harry glared at her. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side.”

Walburga called to him again. “Wait! I truly am… sorry,” She forced herself to say, “That was very uncalled for from me, and I hope you will forgive me for being so unpolite.”

Harry turned back. “Unpolite! You weren’t unpolite; you were a bi-” Kali cut him off with a squawk as she landed on his shoulder. 

Walburga straightened up imperiously. “I realize I did not act as a Lady of the house of Black should, and for that I am deeply sorry, but on behalf of the family, I would like to thank you for bringing back our family heirlooms,” She said somewhat pretentiously. 

Harry shrugged helplessly. “What’s family for? Siri,” Harry choked up a little at the mention of his godfather, “Sirius was everything to me. He was all the family I had left, and they stole everything from him. His house, his freedom, his  _ life _ . I know he didn’t like it here or all the dark objects, but I know he wouldn’t have wanted it to be stolen from the family.”

Walburga glare softened a little. “Yes, I suppose we are family.”

Harry scoffed slightly. “It’s sad that all the family I have left is the talking portrait of the mother my godfather despised. No offence!” Harry stated quickly as she raised an eyebrow at him. “Hell, I don’t even have a portrait of my parents.”

Harry rubbed his face. “You know, the only memory I have of them is their deaths. I can’t remember anything happy, like them playing with me or something as mundane as one of my parents holding me. But, hey, that’s life for one Harry Potter! Nothing good can ever happen to Harry Potter, and if it does it gets ripped away from him!”

“I don’t mean to intrude,” Walburga said carefully, “But have you read the grimoire?”

“No, Kreacher just found it. I haven’t had a chance.”

“Well,” Walburga said with a small smile, “I believe the solutions to all your troubles are in it.” 

Harry looked at her in shock. “But this is the family grimoire. Most families put some kind of curse on it so that only blood relatives can open it.”

Walburga shook her head with a slight smile. “The grimoire only opens to somebody worthy in the Black family. You are as much a part of the family as I am and truly worthy if you have been chosen by Kali.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Was it decent? Oh! Some of you are wondering what 'Potentia Dracones Praecedentes' means. It means the power of the dragons in latin. Supposedly, anyways. I don't speak latin, so this is the translation from google translate. Sorry there's no time travel in this chapter, but I had to figure out a way to get him into the past. I know a few of you have been asking, but he will go to the past in the next chapter. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!


	5. Time Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry panics at the idea of time travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you I'd have it finished!! I had to stop working on my speech to do it, but I did it! Well I hope you guys like this chapter. Sorry for the wait. WARNING! (semi) violent deaths of beloved characters and terrible latin. I DON'T KNOW ANY LATIN SO DON'T BLAME ME!! BLAME GOOGLE TRANSLATE!! Okay, we're good! Enjoy the chapter!

“Time Travel! Are you kidding me? Time travel?” Harry said as he stormed down to Walburga’s portrait. 

She glanced down at him. After Kali tore the curtains down, Harry had made her promise not to insult him or anybody he cared about or else the curtains would go back up. She had agreed rather quickly. Amazing, how a decade of darkness can do that to a person.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to find it,” She said superiously, “In all honesty, I thought you would have found it sooner.” Yeah, she wasn’t keeping her promise very well.

“Well I found it almost immediately, but I didn’t think you were actually suggesting it!" Harry grumbled.

Walburga raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you wanted your family back? This is the only way you can do it."

"'Bad things happen to those who meddle with time'," Harry quoted, "Do you understand what could happen to me, to the timeline?" 

Walburga looked faintly worried, but she masked it well. "I know there can be some... adverse effects to the castor, but this is the only way to get your parents back."

Harry began to pace in front of her. "What if I change something small and screw up the whole timeline?! I could destroy everything I've worked so hard to create! I could make the war worse and kill more people." His face darkened. Too many had died in the war. Too much blood was already on his hands. He couldn't live through a war again.

A familiar looked entered Walburga's eyes. "Don't look at me like that," Harry snapped, "I don't need your pity."

Her eyes hardened. “You are the Lord of the Noble and most Ancient House of Black. Even if you are not related to me by blood, you are  _ family _ . Act like it. I only want what's best for you."

Harry stopped pacing. "I'm sorry," Harry sighed, "This is just a tough decision. I don't want to get any more people killed."

"Look at me, Harry," Walburga snapped, "You did not get those people killed. It was their decision to fight, not yours.

"And anyways," she continued softly, "What reason do you have to stay in this time?" Harry glanced up at her, confused. "Harry, for the past week you've told me about what happened during the war. And it seems to me," she stated carefully, "that fate has not been kind to you. Your supposed ‘friends’ left you because of something as silly as the type of magic you used. The very people you were trying to protect in this war were killed. You and I, both, know the Ministry is going to turn on you when they realize you are unwilling to be their puppet.” As she spoke, her face became hard, almost as if it was set in stone and at that moment, she truly looked like the Lady Black she was supposed to be. “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but all of your loved ones are dead. You have nothing stopping you from  doing this.”

Harry flinched slightly. “Did you really have to bring that up?” 

“Yes, I did,” Walburga said, a dark scowl making her look more dangerous than usual, “You wouldn’t have even considered going back in time if I hadn’t forced you to think about the dead.”

Harry flinched again. He knew she was right. This was a way to fix it all. He could save everybody who had died. 

Neville had died during the Final Battle. It had taken eight Death Eaters to kill him. Even then, he had already killed four of them by the time they took him down. His death had been particularly vicious and painful since he was the one to lead the DA during the Horcrux Hunt. Neville had been killed with a painful curse that slowly turned the person to stone. The curse started with less needed organs, so the cursed person could live longer to feel the pain of his organs turning to stone. It took him half an hour to die, but in that time, Neville took out as many Death Eaters as possible.

Luna had been killed when the Death Eaters had attacked a muggle orphanage. A group of DA members had responded to the attack and had tried to save the everybody. The Death Eaters had slowly tortured their way through the children until they learned that the DA had appeared. Then they set the building on fire and apparated away. Luna had been trying to help a group of children escape when a wall collapsed on her, snapping her wand. The rest of the DA members couldn’t get to her through the Fiendfyre. She burned to death; nothing was left of her but the bottle cap necklace she always wore.

Luna’s death had broken Ginny’s heart. Harry and Ginny had broken up on good terms before the war had started. Harry knew he probably wouldn’t survive the war, and Ginny had liked him more as a friend than a lover. She started to date Luna after she found out Luna had a crush on her, and Ginny fell head over heals for her. When Luna died, Ginny threw herself into capturing Death Eaters. She was overzealous, though, and was willing to do anything to capture them, including using herself as bait. She wasn’t fast enough to escape on her last mission. The Death Eaters had left her bloody, mangled body hanging in the middle of Diagon Alley as a message for the resistance.

So many people had died because of this war. His friends, parents, Sirius, Remus. There were always so many bodies after a battle, and he could never name over half of the people who had died. How sickening was that? People had been willing to follow him into battle and die for him and the cause, yet he didn’t even know some of their names. He could save them, every unknown body from the battlefield to the muggles who had no idea why they were being killed. Harry had the ability fix everything wrong with the wizarding world. Walburga was right, he had nothing to lose from this and everything to gain. 

“What about the ritual?” Harry asked quietly, still trying to convince himself it was a bad idea.

Walburga scoffed. “Throughout the war you used dark magic, and now when you have the chance to actually save lives and end the war decades earlier than it did originally, you think it’s  _ wrong _ ?!?”

Harry glared at her sharply. “That’s not what I meant. I just don’t trust blood rituals,” Harry said uncomfortably, his mind flashing back to the night at the graveyard.  
Walburga didn’t back down. “You have a chance to save everyone who died in this silly war, including _your_ parents and _my_ sons, and you’re not going to use this opportunity because it involves a _blood ritual_?” She snarled.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that why you want me to do this? To save your own family. Are there any other secret motives I need to know about?”

Her voice turned deadly quiet. “My family suffered for  _ my  _ mistakes. The Blacks were one of the greatest Houses of all times and look at it now. It’s pathetic. My only family members left are that filthy Andromeda and Narcissa who is more than likely going to spend the rest of her days rotting in a prison cell in Azkaban. If I had a chance to save my family from ruining itself, I would do it in a heartbeat, but instead, I am stuck in this portrait, forced to watch you  _ debate _ about whether or not a few consequences are worth the lives of your family.” 

Although she said the words in a whisper, Harry could hear the pure  _ rage _ that Walburga was feeling because of the situation. She had every right to be furious with him. She had given him a golden opportunity, and here he was, throwing it back in her face like it was worthless. So what if she had ulterior motives; she just wanted to save her family, the same thing he wanted to do.

Harry ran his hand through his hair. “Fine. Fine, I’ll do it.”

Walburga smiled viciously. “I knew you would make the right decision.”

* * *

 

 The next few days were extremely hectic. Preparations had to be made. If Harry was going to do this, he had to make sure he had everything working in his favor. He had gone out for the first time in weeks to get the appropriate spells  that would make him seem less suspicious.

Harry’s main concern was how closely he resembled his father. He truly was a mirror image of James, except for his emerald eyes. Harry couldn’t afford people being suspicious of him just because he looked so similar to his father.

Harry had gone to one of the renowned beauty shops in Diagon Alley. He got several charms placed on him to slightly change his facial structure. The charms had caused Harry’s cheekbones to become more pronounced, giving him a more aristocratic appearance. His jaw was sharper and lips fuller. The only problem was his hair. Harry had the true Potter hair, causing it to look like a bird’s nest. The beautician had cast spell after spell on his hair, but it wouldn’t lay flat. The best the poor woman could do was give his hair a curly bedhead appearance. Harry didn’t have to change much of his appearance after that. Years of near starvation had caused his frame to be much smaller than his father’s tall build. Although he had gotten a little taller s during his years at Hogwarts, he was still only 5’4, which was tiny compared to his father’s height of 6 ft.The only thing Harry left were his emerald eyes. He couldn’t bare the thought of losing one of the only attributes of his mother. 

The next place Harry went to was Gringotts, where he caused quite a panic. He cleaned out both the Potter and Black family vaults and put the funds in a bottomless money bag that could only be opened by him. He would need the money in the past, and if he didn’t take it with him he wouldn’t have any way to support the plans that he had made. The goblins were not happy with him. The story was sure to be pasted all over the Daily Prophet. The wizarding world would probably panic and take out the funds they had in the bank. No wonder the goblins were glaring at him when he left. Oops.

Finally, after a few days a hectic scrambling, everything was ready. All Harry needed to do was grab his few personal items and do the ritual. 

“Any advice before I go?” Harry asked Walburga before going up to his room.

She gave him an appraising look. “Yes,” She drawled, “Try not to die.”

Harry glared at her. “Gee, thanks. I really appreciate the sentiment.” As he began to walk upstairs, he heard her call after him.

“Harry,” He paused, one foot on the landing, “there’s no coming back after this. Make sure you’re ready for what’s to come. I wouldn’t want the only person I have left to claim as family die because he rushed into a situation foolishly.” Walburga gave him one last searching glance before turning her back to him. Harry glanced back before continuing up to his room. “Crazy bint,” he mumbled before closing the door to his empty room. The only things in it were his shrunken trunk and the items for the ritual.

A large circle was drawn with ash in the middle of the hardwood floor with a porcelain bowl beside it. Harry nervously slipped his trunk in his pocket. “Well, Kali,” Harry said, “Are you ready for this?” She glanced up at him from her place on his wrist before gently nudging the back of his hand letting out a sound similar to a purr. Harry took a deep breath. He could do this. He only hoped his magic didn’t act up during the ritual.

Harry carefully stepped into the circle, making sure not to disturb it. He flicked his wrist, and the elder wand snapped out. “Tempus voluntatem meam. Send electi per tempus.,”* Harry whispered, carefully swishing his wand through the complicated swirls and flicks he had been forced to memorize. He slowly picked up the small bowl by his feet. He drew his wand down the old scar that Wormtail had given him at the graveyard, leaving a deep cut exactly where the traitor had. “Accipite haec sacra et errores meos concedit.”* he said as the blood slowly dripped down his arm and into the bowl. He repeated the mantra until the bowl was full.

Harry paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. This was it. The moment that would change it all. “Ad semet, et peccata praeterita dimittantur!” 

He slowly tipped the bowl, allowing the blood to drip out of it, but halfway to the floor, the drops stopped forming a puddle in mid air. “Ad semet, et peccata praeterita dimittantur!”* Harry said, scrunching his eyes closed tight in concentration. The house began to shake, slowly building until the Harry could hear the paintings in the hallway shouting and faint crashes throughout the house. Harry faltered. The ritual wasn’t supposed to cause this kind of effect. Harry felt Kali reassuringly nuzzled the back of his hand. With a faint smile, Harry said the last part of the spell as he poured the rest of the blood out of the bowl. “AD SEMET, ET PECCATA PRAETERITA DIMITTANTUR!” 

Harry’s eyes snapped open. His pupils were completely blown, only leaving a small ring of bright emerald color surrounding him. Power radiated from him and swirled around the room. Slowly, the puddle of blood grew larger and larger, spreading throughouth the room but never crossing the circle of ashes. The only thing was that the puddle didn’t look like a puddle anymore. It looked like… nothing. Suddenly, everything stopped. The puddle covered the entire room, slowly filling it and leaving Harry surrounded by a sea of darkness. The world became silent, and Harry felt as if all the magic had been sucked out of the room, leaving it empty. Harry gasped for breath. The only time he had felt anything like this was when he had gotten too close to the Veil of Death after Sirius’ died. He could barely feel his own magic.

Harry struggled with his magic, trying to force it outward to complete the ritual. He wrestled with it, trying to push it through whatever was dampening it so drastically. Harry felt Kali fidget on his hand, but he ignored her in order to focus on his unruly magic. A sharp pain flickered through his hand before it was replaced by a surge of power. It flooded through him, and with a final push, forced his magic outwards. The magic completely surrounded him and replaced the horrible empty feeling. Harry stared in awe of the splashes of black, silver, white, and the large swirls of gold that surrounded him. It was so peaceful. Slowly the magic started to swirl around him, going faster and faster until it felt as if Harry was in a tornado. The magic suddenly snapped back into him. His senses screamed in pain as his magic flicked through him like fire. As he lost consciousness, Harry swore he felt the strange sensation of falling before he knew no more.    

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Tell me what you think! Now it's time for the * parts!  
> First*-Time do my will. Send the chosen through time.  
> Second*- Accept this sacrifice, and allow me to fix my mistakes.  
> Third*-Let the past unwind and mistakes be forgiven  
> Don't trust google translate, people! Hoped you guys liked it! Don't be afraid to comment!


	6. Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry hates surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter everybody! Hope you like! Don't be afraid to comment!

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ Harry slowly began to wake up before freezing completely. He couldn’t be in Grimmauld Place; it was too bright. The light caused the inside of his eyelids to be a dark red color rather than the black they normally were in his house. This wasn’t his bed; it was too stiff. Harry stretched out his magic, trying to feel if anyone was in the room. He had gotten very good at this during the war. It especially helped whenever he had been captured. When he felt that nobody was in or near the room, Harry relaxed a little but kept his magic actively sensing if anyone was near. _Beep. Beep. Beep._ What the hell was that noise? Harry carefully opened his eyes.

“Shit,” was all Harry could say before curling up in the small bed. The bland, white walls and impersonal room told him exactly where he was. He was in a freaking hospital. Harry had only been to a hospital once, and it was a terrible experience. He had been six at the time, and Petunia was beginning to make him cook for the family. It had been Dudley’s birthday, so Harry had to use the fine china. As he had carefully set the table, Dudley lumbered in and pushed him from behind, causing him to drop the entire stack of plates in order to catch himself. The Dursleys hadn’t been too happy about that. Vernon had kicked him out of the house after his ‘punishment’ that had caused a broken arm, three broken ribs, and a black eye before ordering him not to come back until after Dudley’s birthday was over.  Harry had limped to the hospital because Petunia always took Dudley there when he was hurt, but by the time he got to the hospital, his magic had completely healed him of his injuries. A nurse immediately became suspicious of him since he was by himself and obviously uninjured. She convinced him to tell her where he lived and then called the Dursleys which had led to one of the worst punishments he had ever lived through.

Yes, Harry didn’t like hospitals at all. They were nosy, cold, and completely impersonal. Harry carefully sat up in bed. His body _ached_. He could barely move. He quickly looked himself over for injuries but found nothing that should be causing him the amount of pain he was currently in. He glared at the tubes that were connected to his arms before reaching to pull them out. His hand didn’t make it very far. A silver handcuff connected it to the bed rail. “What the hell?” Harry mumbled as he yanked on his hand again.

A shrill alarm sounded in his head as his magic snapped back to him. He flopped back down on the bed, but before he could pretend to be asleep a nurse bustled in. “Hi, sweetie!” the nurse said with a fake smile, “I hope you’re feeling well.”

Harry glared at her. He already didn’t like her at all. “Why am I handcuffed to the bed?” Harry growled.

Her smile faltered. “Just a necessary precaution, dear.” She grabbed the clipboard at the end of his bed. “Can you tell me what your name is?”

Harry ignored her question. “Why is it necessary?”

She froze, eyes slowly filling with pity. “How about I go get your doctor?” she said with another fake smile before she hurried through the door. A few minutes later, a portly, bald doctor with a kind face walked in. The doctor gave him a bright smile. “How are you feeling, my boy?”

Harry flinched slightly. The man reminded him too much of Dumbledore. “I’m not _your boy_ ,” Harry snarled. The man stepped back slightly, before nodding professionally. “Can you tell me your name?”

“I can. Why am I handcuffed to the bed?” Harry glared at the man. He didn’t like being clueless.

The doctor got a sympathetic look on his face. “Do you remember anything about your accident, my boy?” Harry bristled at the endearment.

When Harry didn’t say anything, the doctor sighed. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you were in an accident,” The man said sadly, “We believe you may have tried to commit suicide.”

 Harry stared at the man in utter confusion. Why would he think he had tried to kill himself? Hell, Harry hadn’t even _been_ here long enough-oh. All the pieces fell together. The ritual must have dropped him off in the air. Harry had thought he had just imagined falling. Whoever had found him must have assumed he had jumped from a building.

“Where was I found?” Harry asked quietly.

The doctor glanced down at the clipboard, “You were found near the Borough of Islington.” Harry nodded silently. That’s where Grimmauld Place was. Maybe the ritual was like apparition, and since he didn’t have a clear destination in mind, it just dropped him off close to where he was originally. Harry mulled over the thought. Yes, it was possible; hell, even probable.

The silence must have worried the doctor. “Do you remember anything?”

Harry froze. How was he going to get out of this? “Yes… But I didn’t try to kill myself. I just…fell.” Harry said unconvincingly. The doctor raised an eyebrow at him. “How long have I been here?” Harry asked before the doctor could say anything.

The doctor looked down at the clipboard again. “You’ve been unconscious for three days, but you’ve healed incredibly fast. It’s a medical miracle, I’d say.”

The doctor’s eyes seemed to hover over something written on the sheet he was looking at. The doctor sadly glanced down at Harry. “We found a surprising amount of scar tissue all over your body,” Harry tensed slightly, “If you are being abu-” Harry cut the doctor off. “I’m not feeling well. I think I need to sleep some more.”

The doctor watched him sadly before nodding. “If you need anything, just call for a nurse,” he said before leaving the room.

            Harry seethed as he listened to the doctor’s footsteps fade away. As soon as everything became quiet outside, Harry snapped his fingers at the handcuffs, unlocking them. He shot out of bed and began to look for his clothes. “Hate hospitals,” Harry growled as he finally found his clothes neatly folded up with the elder wand placed neatly beside them, “If they had seen Kali-” Harry stopped from putting on his clothes and looked at his wrist. He hadn’t noticed it before but the wrist Kali usually curled up on had been the one handcuffed to the bed. For the first time in weeks, Harry was alone and he didn’t like it.

            “Kali?” Harry called out, looking around the room, “Kali, this is no time for tricks!” The dragon was smart. Surely she hadn’t been caught by the hospital staff. A quiet chirping filled the room as she stuck her snout out from underneath the bed. Harry relaxed. “And here I was worried about you,” Harry rolled his eyes and quickly finished pulling on his clothes. He glared down at them. They had large patches of blood scattered through them. “Scourgify,” Harry said, hopeful that his magic wouldn’t act up and clean the entire building. The blood quickly disappeared from his clothes leaving them looking new. He glanced at them again before transfiguring them into wizarding robes. “Perfect,” Harry said with a smirk.

            “Come on, Kali, it’s time to go,” Harry called as he snapped the elder wand into his wand holster. Kali quietly flew to his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. Harry smiled slightly, “Yeah, yeah. I missed you too, you beast,” Harry said before turning on his heels and disapperating from the hospital with a crack.  

* * *

 

            Harry quickly maneuvered through Diagon Alley. He stopped outside of Gringotts and took a deep breath. This was it. This would determine if all his plans would work or not. Harry just hoped the spell would hold. Harry stood up straight and regally strode into the bank. He looked like a pureblood lord. The small crowd inside the bank became silent and parted for the man who looked like he could rival a Malfoy. A small smirk graced Harry’s otherwise blank face. Looked like his plan was working so far.

            Harry made his way over to a desk. “What do you want?” A goblin asked gruffly, not looking up from his desk. “I would like to claim a lordship,” Harry said evenly.

            The goblin finally looked up and glanced at Harry. He sneered at him, obviously unimpressed with Harry. “And what lordship would you be claiming?” The goblin sneered.

             Perfect. Harry smirked. It was going better than he expected. “The Emrys lordship.”

            A small gasp filled the room before it was replaced with loud whispers. The goblin stared at Harry in shock before his face became blank. “I’m sure you are aware of the blood test you have to take in order to accept this lordship.”

            “Of course,” Harry said as he rolled up his sleeve and held out the arm that Kali wasn’t wrapped around. The goblin watched him carefully as he pulled out a small knife and sharply drew it down his forearm. Before Harry could so much as flinch, the goblin snatched his arm and held it over a paper. Harry watched with bated breath as drop after drop slowly fell onto it, praying that the spell would hold.  

            Before Harry had traveled to the past, he had found a spell in the Black family grimoire that would suppress certain bloodlines. If the spell was cast with the intention of only blocking one or two bloodlines, it would block those and allow other, older bloodlines to become dominate. It had been created originally to make sure that the old, powerful pureblood families didn’t disappear when they didn’t have a male heir and were forced to marry into other families. Merlin had bound bloodline into the _Potentia Dracones Praecedentes_ so that the next owner of the book would be his heir since he didn’t have any children of his own. Since Kali had accepted Harry, she had inadvertently named him Merlin’s heir. Well, technically Slytherin had been named Merlin’s heir, but he hadn’t accepted it, so the lordship passed on to the next owner of the book. In theory, the spell should have hidden the Potter and Black lordships and only allowed the Emrys lordship to show in any kind of ritual or spell, but since his magic had been acting up so much lately, Harry didn’t know if the spell would last or completely hide his other lordships.

            Harry carefully watched the paper. If this didn’t work then the rest of his plans would go up in smoke. Slowly, the blood on the paper began to form the elegant cursive words, _Hadrian James Emrys-Slytherin, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Emrys and Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin through rite of conquest._

Harry raised an eyebrow at the last part of the sentence. That wasn’t supposed to have happened. He hadn’t even known he had been Lord Slytherin in his original time. He should have checked for any additional lordships when he had taken out all the money from the Potter and Black Vaults in his time, but, really, who would have expected this? Certainly not him. Riddle was definately not going to be happy.

The goblin stared down at the paper in shock. He carefully glanced up at Harry before bowing his head to him, ignoring the sharp gasps from the rest of the people in the bank. Goblins rarely showed respect to wizards. They only respected those who they deemed more powerful and dangerous than them. For a goblin to show such a blatant form of respect for Harry, he must have deemed him an extremely formidable person. “It is an honor to meet you, Lord Emrys-Slytherin.”

The whispers in the bank grew louder. This would definitely be all over the Prophet tomorrow. For the first time in centuries, there was a Lord Emrys, not to mention Voldemort evidently wasn’t the Lord Slytherin he claimed to be.

Harry kept his face carefully blank as he bowed his head to the goblin in front of him. “The honor’s all mine.” The goblin eyed him warily before snapping his attention to a goblin beside him. “Go get the Emrys and Slytherin lord rings,” he snapped at the smaller goblin. He nodded nervously before bolting through the door leading to the vaults.

Harry glanced behind him. When had the crowd gotten so large? When he had entered Gringotts, the bank had maybe fifteen people in it, but now the bank was half full. Harry smirked slightly before he faced the goblin again. Yes, this would work perfectly. The wizarding world was the equivalent of a high school rumor mill. He would be a mystery to all the pureblooded families. The titles he had received would make them curious about the supposed pureblooded lord and cause them to play right into his hands.

“Lord Emrys-Slytherin,” the goblin said, snapping him out of his thoughts, “Here are your rings.” The goblin set two small, ornate boxes in front of him. Harry carefully open the first one. The ring truly was beautiful. It was delicate, with intricate silver swirls surrounding a dark cobalt stone. A small dragon, which looked disturbingly like Kali in midflight, contrasted strikingly against the dark blue stone it was on. With a small smile, Harry slipped the ring onto his ring finger. A large influx of pure magic flooded through him, causing his eyes to widen slightly and flash gold before he was able to form his blank mask again. The foreign magic swirled inside of him, mixing with his already volatile magic. Harry eyed the other box in front of him. He didn’t know if his magic could handle another addition. It was already swirling dangerously underneath his skin, his meager self-control barely stopping it from breaking free and causing havoc in the bank.

    Harry shook his head. He’d have to accept the other ring. It would look bad to the crowd behind him if he only took Merlin’s ring and left Slytherin’s. To all the purebloods it would look as if he was rejecting the Slytherin lordship, and effectively ostracize him from the very people whose respect he needed to gain.

 With a deep breath, Harry shakily reached out for the box and opened it. Harry was slightly shocked by its appearance. While Merlin’s ring had been quite simple, this ring was beyond lavish. The ring was in the form of a head of a silver basilisk with its jaws stretched wide around a large emerald. It was extremely life like, with its large fangs hanging over the green stone. Shakily, Harry slipped the ring onto his ring finger with Merlin’s ring, watching silently as they merged together.  

            Harry tensed as another wave of magic flooded through him. It was completely different than the magic he had received from Merlin’s ring. The power from Merlin’s ring burned through him and constantly whipped around his body, almost as if it was looking for a way out. The power from Slytherin’s ring felt like ice. It seemed to freeze the blood in his veins and was completely different than anything he had ever felt. This magic felt… calculated. It didn’t flit around his body; it remained still before it lashed out at anything it perceived as threat. The air around Harry crackled dangerously, causing the crowd behind him to take a few steps back.

            Harry gave the goblin a sharp smile. “Thank you for your service, but I must take my leave now.”

            The goblin nodded warily before returning to his paperwork.

            Harry turned on his heels and regally walked out of the bank, the crowd silently parting for him. Harry smirked slightly. Yes, almost everything was going exactly as planned. Now all he had to do was send a letter to a certain Headmaster, and then he was returning to his one true home, Hogwarts.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, Bad, Ugly? Tell me! And here's a little bit of an explanation on the heritage blocking spell Harry used. It's meant to stop the oldest son from receiving all the titles and leaving the second son with nothing. So, for example, instead of being Lord Potter-Black-Emrys-Slytherin, one son would be Lord Potter-Black and the other would be Lord Emrys-Slytherin. That way old family names wouldn't disappear completely when they married into other families. Hope that explains more. Sorry if it seems if Harry smirks a lot, but he's trying to play the pureblood lord he wants people to believe he is. Smirking seems to be a common trait for most purebloods. And the deal with Harry being handcuffed to the bed in the beginning of the story... I don't know if that would actually happen, but in the story, it's meant to keep Harry from supposedly trying to kill himself again. Sorry if that's completely wrong; I just used a little bit of dramatic licence. And just so you know (and don't become furious with me because it's been six chapters without the Marauders), Harry will go to Hogwarts and meet them in the next chapter! So stay tuned, everybody! Next chapter should be out soon!


	7. Flirting of a Nemesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry goes to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll! Hope you guys are happy because this is the fastest I have ever written anything! Don't be afraid to comment!

Harry sat staring at his letter to Dumbledore in his small room at the Leaky Cauldron. He had no clue what to write. Yes, going to Hogwarts had always been parted of the plan, but he had no idea how to  _ do _ that. With a quiet sigh, Harry set his quill to the parchment. 

_ Headmaster Dumbledore, _

_ My name is Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin. I have spent most of my life homeschooled, and until recent events took place, that was how I was supposed to finish my schooling. Unfortunately, certain events have forced me to look for alternative choices. I have researched many schools, including Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, but I would prefer to attend Hogwarts since Salazar Slytherin was one of its founders and it is rumored that Merlin, himself, has gone there. I have done a lot of research in the past few months and have deemed Hogwarts beyond satisfactory in all accounts. I have enclosed a copy of my OWLs inside the letter to help you determine whether or not to allow me into your fine establishment. It would truly be a great honor for me if I could attend the school that my ancestor created. _

_ -Lord Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin _

_ Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin _

Harry looked it over. Surely that would be good enough. Even if Dumbledore didn’t want him at Hogwarts as a student, he would still be forced to accept Harry in order to keep an eye on him. With Harry being the Lord Slytherin  _ and _ Emrys, Dumbledore would want him as far away from Voldemort as possible even if he had to allow him to come to Hogwarts.

Harry glanced over his OWL results. He had been forced to go to the Ministry in order to take them again in this time. Unfortunately, he couldn’t use the results from his own time because it would be too hard to cover up if someone decided to go through all of his records. Not that he wanted to keep his old results, though. His scores had been terribly low since he had been so worried about Umbridge, not to mention he completely failed his History of Magic exam because of his vision. The results from the OWLs he took in this time were much better, with Os in everything except potions where he received an E. Amazing how much a war forces a person to learn.

Harry glanced over the papers again before stuffing them into an envelope. He walked over to the one tiny window in his room and whistled for one of the many post owls in the alley. A plain barn owl flew to his window with a glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m willing to pay,” Harry grumbled. He tied the envelope to  one of its legs and put a few coins in the pouch that was tied to the other leg. “Take this to Albus Dumbledore right away. I’d prefer if he got this tonight. It’s very important.”

The owl glared at him again before taking off. “Why are owls so rude?” Harry mumbled to Kali. The silver dragon seemed to ignore the question and settled for curling around Harry’s neck. “All we can do now is wait.”

* * *

 

Harry was pacing around his room. Three days had passed and he still hadn’t received a reply from Dumbledore. 

Although a lot had happened in three days. Harry had gotten the reaction he wanted. The evening Harry had accepted his lordships, The Daily Prophet had released a special edition evening paper. It was supposed to have covered a large attack Voldemort had perpetrated on a muggle town, but it mainly covered the new handsome, mysterious wizard that had accepted two lordships that were thought long dead. Already rumors were spreading about how powerful he was and where he had come from. Some people were already claiming he was going to run for minister in the next election.

Harry continued to sulk over the missing letter. “He’s just doing this to mess with me,” Harry said, “I forgot how much of a bastard he was.”

Kali hummed from the spot where she was curled up on his bed. Harry glared at her. “I know you’re enjoying my frustration much more than you should.” Kali looked up at him and blinked innocently. 

Suddenly a soft pecking filled the room. Harry’s head snapped to the window. “Finally! I thought he would never reply.”

Harry quickly opened the window and stared in shock at the bird he thought he would never see again. “Hello, Fawkes,” Harry whispered. The fiery bird cocked his head at Harry and watched him curiously before laying the letter he had in his beak down on the ground. Fawkes trilled softly as he nudged the letter over to Harry. 

“Thank you,” Harry quickly grabbed the letter and opened it. He glanced over the letter and the tension that Harry had had for the past three days finally disappeared. 

“Tell Headmaster Dumbledore that I am thankful for his consideration and will see him soon.” Fawkes trilled again as he nodded before spreading his wings and catching on fire. Harry watched the majestic bird burn until he disappeared, probably returning to his master. 

Harry glanced over at Kali. The sleepy facade she had worn just moments before was gone now and replaced with a look of anticipation. 

“Ever get the feeling that Dumbledore likes to brag?” Harry asked, glancing down at the dark burn mark Fawkes had left on the floor. “I mean, who uses a phoenix as a  _ messenger bird _ ?”

Kali glared at him and took off from her spot on the bed to land on his shoulder. She growled at him and pawed at the arm that was holding the letter. 

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” Harry said playfully, “We’re going home!”  

* * *

 

Harry looked at the large crowd in Kings Cross with a small smile. It looked exactly as he remembered. He quickly walked through the crowd of people. He had waited long enough. He  _ needed _ to finally be doing something. Finally, he was at the small barrier between platforms nine and ten. Harry carefully looked around at the people to make sure they weren’t looking before casually walking through the brick wall. 

Harry had to fight a large grin from breaking out on his face. People couldn’t see the new Lord Emrys-Slytherin acting like a child. Already he could see several pureblood families in the crowd. Harry struggled not to laugh when he saw Lucius Malfoy standing with his parents. His hair which had been unkempt and shaggy in the last years of his life was now  _ curled _ . Evidently, Draco got his fascination with his hair from his father.

Harry quickly walked past the family before he could laugh and boarded the train. He glanced at all the kids, seeing some familiar features and some completely foreign ones. Harry automatically began to walk to the compartment he, Ron, and Hermione always sat in. It seemed like forever since he had been on this train. With a faint smile, Harry turned the corner into his usual compartment before stumbling to a stop. It was full.

Harry stared at four people he never thought he would see again. One of the boys looked exactly like him. Well, what he used to look like. He was tall and had black hair that looked like it had never seen a comb. He, James, Harry tried to remind himself, was almost falling out of his seat, laughing uproariously at something his friend beside him had said, tears streaming from his hazel eyes.

The boy beside James was so much happier than Harry had last seen him. His silver eyes seemed to only contain laughter, but Harry could see the darkness that it masked. His face that was once so sallow and sickly now had a healthy glow and was full of life. Sirius’ hair that was once shaggy now gave him the appearance that he had just been shagged.

The boy across from them looked just as happy as the first two but more subdued. He looked genuinely happy, something Harry hadn’t seen very often in his time. He looked healthy too, with only a few pale scars on his face and hands. His bright amber eyes seem to light up with joy looking at the two boys across from him.

The fourth boy Harry was not happy to see. He was pudgy and had sandy blonde hair that reminded Harry of Dudley. He was laughing with the other three boys in the compartment, but he had chocolate smeared over his face. Several chocolate frog wrappers lay forgotten on his lap. Harry had to fight a sneer from appearing on his face.

“Sorry, mate,” Sirius’ voice was still filled with laughter, snapping Harry out of his thoughts, “But this compartment is full.”

A fake smile appeared on Harry’s face. “Right. Sorry for the intrusion.” 

Harry quickly backed out of the compartment and walked,  _ not sprinted _ , Harry told himself, to the end of the train. He went into the last compartment and closed the door with a sharp snap. He flung himself on the seat by the window and tried to calm down.

Harry thought he had been ready for this. Seeing his parents, Remus,  _ Sirius _ . It just hurt so  _ much _ seeing them alive and happy. ‘ _ It’s because of me they didn’t stay that way _ ,’ Harry thought to himself.  He hadn’t expected to see them in his old compartment; he hadn’t been prepared at all. Harry gasped for breath. Damn it, he should have expected something like this to happen. 

Quiet chirps filled the room as Kali uncurled herself from the place on his wrist and carefully crawled onto Harry’s chest and nudged his chin. “Don’t worry, Kali. I’m fine,” Harry gasped out. Kali nudged his face again and a low purring filled the room. Slowly, Harry’s breathing even out. “Thanks,  Kali,” Harry chuckled weakly before sitting up and straightening his clothes. “What would I do without you?”

The silver dragon squawked at him and clawed her way up his shirt until she could curl around his neck. “Hey! Watch the shirt! It’s bloody brand new!” In fact, he had gotten an entirely new wardrobe. And so what if it had more black and green in it than he had owned in his life.

Kali ignored him and snuggled closer to his neck. “Bloody beast, you’re more like a cat than a dragon.”

The train jerked to a start. Finally, he was on his way to Hogwarts. Harry laid his head against the window and watched as the train passed the waving parents before a somebody quietly knocked on the door. The door opened slightly and a head peeked through the crack. “Sorry, I thought nobody was in here. This compartment’s usually empty.”

Harry straightened up further and leaned forward trying to get a better look at the person. “No, it’s okay. You can join me if you want.”

Slowly a boy stepped into the compartment. He looked young, but everyone looked young to Harry. Everyone looked innocent to him and that made them young in his eyes. The boy had silver eyes. Harry could see a half-formed wall behind them trying to block all emotions from showing but not quite doing it. A deep sadness seemed to resonate from the boy in front of him. He was clearly a pureblood. His clothes were impeccable and his hair had a slight curl to it. Although the boy projected the confidence of a pureblood, Harry could see the slight insecurities he had. He stood proudly, yet his attitude seemed to curl into himself, and although he was looking straight at Harry, he wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“What’s your name?” Harry asked curiously.

The boy’s eyes darkened slightly, and he jutted his chin out. “Regulus Black. And you are?”

Harry looked at the boy in shock. So this was the boy who would in a few short years kill himself while trying to defeat Voldemort. It seemed impossible. The boy in front of him seemed so incredibly young, so insecure.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts. “Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” He said as he held out his hand.

Regulus eyes widened slightly before he could mask it. “So you’re the new lord everyone’s raving about.”

Harry grimaced. “Well, I hope they’re only saying good things.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow at him and blatantly looked Harry up and down. “Yes, they are definitely saying good things about you.”

Harry turned bright red. Sure, he was used to people hitting on him, but not  _ his godfather’s baby brother _ ! He quickly tried to steer the conversation in a safer direction. “I just transferred to Hogwarts. I don’t suppose you can tell me more about the school, other than how it is such a ‘great place for all witches wizards and one of the safest places in the world.” Harry drawled sarcastically.

  The first real smile Harry had seen from the boy appeared on his face, albeit small. “I believe I can tell you quite a lot actually,” Regulus said as they sat down across each other.

“I’m a fifth year Slytherin. So I may be a bit biased and say that Slytherin is the best house there is in Hogwarts. And it is, compared to those ridiculously trusting Hufflepuffs and idiotic Gryffindors. The only decent house besides Slytherin is Ravenclaw. At least, they appreciate intellect even if they don’t use it correctly.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the small speech. “Strong words to somebody who hasn’t been sorted yet. What if I join the ‘ridiculously trusting Hufflepuffs’?”

Regulus scoffed at Harry. “You? A Hufflepuff? No offense, but you are Lord Emrys-Slytherin. Both of the people you received your titles from are renowned Slytherins. One was a Slytherin by blood and created the house, and the other was sorted into the house and is the greatest wizard known to man. I sincerely doubt you will end up anywhere other than Slytherin.”

Harry smiled slightly, wondering how he would react if he knew he had already been sorted into Gryffindor once in his lifetime. “If you say so,” Harry said with a shrug.

Regulus ignored him. “What classes do you like?”

“Defense. I’ve always done well in that class,” Harry said with a small smile. He would be dead now if he hadn’t been good at that class.

Regulus grimaced. “Well, I can’t tell you much about that class. Rumor has it that the position’s cursed. Nobody teaches more than a year if you’re lucky. Most of the teachers are crackpots anyway.”

Harry groaned. Looked like the position hadn’t changed all that much in this time. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and get somebody competent?” Harry asked hopefully.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Regulus snorted.

Harry groaned. He had really wanted a decent defense teacher this year. “What about the other classes? Are they any good?”

Regulus began to prattle on about the classes and teachers Harry already knew about, allowing Harry to zone out of the conversation a bit. He was still trying to get over the fact that this _ boy _ would be dead in a few short years. Harry started to think over everything he knew about Regulus which wasn’t much. Did he have any friends. He couldn’t really have friends if he was going to spend the entire seven-hour train ride with Harry. Unless he was only staying with Harry for political reasons Harry groaned in his heads. He hated politics. When did Regulus get recruited by the Death Eaters anyway? For all Harry knew, Regulus could be a Death Eater now. He glanced over the boy across from him. No, Harry didn’t think he was a Death Eater yet. He was still too innocent, but he would be the perfect target for recruitment. Regulus was a pureblood and insecure. He was a follower and that was exactly what Voldemort wanted.

“That’s an interesting necklace. It looks familiar,” Regulus voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. His hand subconsciously reached to touch Kali. He had completely forgotten about her. His mind rushed through the time that had passed since Regulus had come in. Had Kali moved. Harry couldn’t remember.

“It’s a family heirloom. It’s all I have left of them,” Harry managed to say.

Regulus nodded slightly. “Maybe one of your family members wore it and that’s where I saw it. I could have sworn-” Regulus was cut off by the compartment door snapping open.

Lucius Malfoy stood there in all his glory. He looked at the two in the compartment before focusing his attention solely on Harry and smirked. “I heard that Lord Emrys-Slytherin was on the train. Am I right to suppose that is you?” Lucius said, ignoring Regulus completely.

Harry immediately thought back to when his son had done almost the exact same thing. This time, Harry would have to be more careful about what he said. He couldn’t afford to make enemies this early into his time here.

Harry stood, cautiously walking closer to him and held out his hand. “Yes, but I prefer to go by Hadrian. And you are?”

Lucius looked affronted before he masked it with a pleasant smile. “My name’s Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy.  I must say it is a pleasure to meet you.” Lucius took his hand, but instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of his hand. He smirked as Harry turned bright red and yanked his hand away. “I do believe we shall become good friends since we’ll be in the same house. I’ll show you around Hogwarts sometime if you wish.”

Harry spluttered slightly. The father of his childhood nemesis just  _ kissed _ his hand! “What if I’m not in your house?”

Lucius gave him a condescending look before deciding to go along with Harry. “Even if you weren’t sorted into Slytherin, which I sincerely doubt, I still believe we would be  _ great  _ friends.”

Lucius glanced at both Regulus and Harry. “I suggest you put on your robes. We’ll be at Hogwarts soon.” 

Lucius started to walk out of compartment but stopped. “Can’t wait to see you in Slytherin, Hadrian,” he said with a wink before he left.

Harry stared at the spot that Lucius had just vacated. “Did-did that really just happen?”

Regulus snorted at Harry as he opened his trunk and dug out his robes. “Don’t take it personally. He flirts with everything that moves. Although, it doesn’t help that you’re the lord of both the Emrys and Slytherin line. He’s all for gaining power, and you are  _ extremely _ powerful in the political sense. Now, get dressed. He wasn’t lying about being close to Hogwarts. We should be there any minute.”

Harry nodded dumbly as he pulled out the shrunken trunk from his pocket and resized it. Regulus whistled quietly. “Impressive, Emrys. You did that wandlessly.”

Harry looked up in shock. He hadn’t meant to; he had just been preoccupied thinking about Lucius. He forgot his magic had been acting up. He gave Regulus a shaky smile. “That’s about the only thing I can do wandlessly. Ask me to levitate something, and I fail miserably.” 

Regulus watched Harry carefully before shrugging. “If you say so.”

Harry quickly pulled on his robes before reshrinking his trunk again, making sure to use his wand this time, and putting it back in his pocket. 

Regulus eyed him curiously. “You know you can leave it on the train. They take all your luggage to your dorm.”

Harry shrugged helplessly. “I don’t want to take the chance someone would go through my trunk. This way I know exactly where it is and who has it.” That was true. He wouldn’t put it past Dumbledore to try to search his trunk. Too bad Harry had used several locking charms from both the Black family grimoire and  _ Potentia Dracones Praecedentes _ on his trunk. Taking it with him was just a precaution.

Regulus nodded thoughtfully before shrinking his trunk as well. The train slowly screeched to a stop. A bright smile appeared on Regulus’ face. “I hope you’re ready, Emrys because we’re here!”

Harry grinned. He was finally home. “Oh, I’m definitely ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good, Bad, Terrible? Tell me what you think! Hope you guys liked! Sorry for the short interaction with the Marauders, but do you honestly believe they would let a stranger into their group right off the bat? I don't. What did you think of Reggie? Or Lucius for that matter? And just so you know this is my longest chapter yet! Proof that I'm trying to lengthen them. Don't be afraid to review!


	8. Frenemies and Stubborn Hats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets some familiar people and argues with a hat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I'm back with a new extra long chapter! Over 6,000 words *gasp*! That's a new record for me! To give you an example of how long that is take two of my chapters and mash them together. So I hope you guys like it and tell me what you think! Enjoy!

Regulus and Harry quickly began to depart from the train. 

“I’m surprised,” Regulus said. Harry looked back at him quizzically. Regulus grinned as he pushed his way through the crowd of people. “Well, usually, all the firsties want to know how they’re sorted. It’s a school secret; you only find out how you’re sorted when you get here. People are usually begging to be let in on the secret, yet you haven’t asked me about it once. Don’t you want to know?” 

Harry glanced at Regulus surprised. He hadn’t known it was a secret. The first time Harry had been sorted he had just assumed he hadn’t known how the sorting happened because he had been raised by muggles. Although, it did make more sense looking back on it. Why would everybody be asking how the sorting happened if they already knew? Hell, Ron hadn’t even known how the sorting happened. He thought you had to battle a troll.

Harry gave Regulus a small smirk and winked. “It’s more fun not knowing.”

Regulus gave a startled laugh. “You’re a strange one, Emrys.”

Harry began to reply but was cut off when he accidently ran into someone in front of him, knocking the person down. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!” 

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t…” Harry trailed off as he glanced down at the person he ran into. His father lay on the ground, a dark scowl marring his features. 

“I am so sorry!” Harry began again, “I wasn’t paying attention. Here, let me help you up.” Harry quickly offered his hand to his father.

James glanced behind Harry before sneering. “I don’t need your help!” He shoved himself up and glared at Harry. “Slimy Slytherins,” Harry heard him grumble as he walked away.

Harry watched him walk away, confused. “But… I’m not even sorted yet. He doesn’t even know me!”

Regulus shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, mate. Just by being seen with me, you’re a Slytherin by association,” He paused and cocked his head, “It doesn’t help that you  _ are _ Lord Slytherin,” he added as an afterthought.

Harry scowled. “Still doesn’t give him the right to be so rude,” he grumbled.

Regulus rolled his eyes and began to push Harry out of the train. “Come on, Emrys. We need to go, or we’re going to miss the carriages. Unless you want to take the boats with the firsties?”  Regulus finished with a smirk.

Harry pretended to shudder. “The first years? How would my reputation ever survive?” Harry said dramatically as he walked towards a carriage.

“Wow, you’re dramatic aren’t you?” Regulus rolled his eyes again. “Even for a pureblood-Shit!” Regulus shouted as he took off running, “The last carriage is leaving!”

“Hey, wait up!” Harry shouted as he began to follow him. He ran after Regulus and quickly passed him, Harry’s old war habits kicking in. Harry quickly jumped onto the carriage step and grabbed onto the door handle before holding his hand out for Regulus. “Come on! You can make it!”

Regulus was slowing down; it was obvious. Purebloods weren’t known for exercising much. They tended to use magic for everything. His face was turning red, and he was beginning to pant. Regulus held out his hand but didn’t quite reach Harry. “Come on! Just a little further.”

Regulus put on a burst of speed and grabbed onto Harry’s hand. Harry grinned and pulled Regulus onto the step. Harry laughed. “Well, that was fun! We should do that again!”

Regulus glared at Harry while he tried to slow his breathing. “You’re insane. And to think, I was beginning to like you,” he panted out.

Harry grinned at him. “You know you love me! Now get in the carriage before you fall!”

Regulus sent another glare at him before Harry carefully opened the door between them and pushed him in, ignoring his shout of protest. Harry grinned slightly before carefully pulling himself into the carriage.

Regulus laid in a heap on the carriage floor, scowling up at Harry. Harry quickly helped him up saying, “Sorry! I didn’t realize I pushed you so hard.”

“Evening, cousin. I must say I didn’t expect you to drop in. Who’s your friend?” said a voice that immediately sent chills down Harry’s spine. Harry finally glanced around the carriage. He hadn’t noticed when he and Regulus had first climbed in since the carriage had been silent, but there were five people already seated in it. Five very familiar Death Eaters.

Bellatrix Lestrange, now known as Bellatrix Black, sat directly in front of Harry surrounded by people Harry had hoped he would never have to see again. Her hair was still a mass of curls, but it looked as if she was trying to make an effort to tame in by having it partially pulled back. She looked disturbingly like Hermione only darker. Bellatrix had the same mass of curls but whereas Hermione had soft brown hair, Bella’s was a dark ebony. She was in her robes and looked like the perfect Slytherin student, but her eyes, her eyes couldn’t mask the cruelty she possessed. There was a dark streak in her that she would never be able to hide. The problem now was she wasn’t as insane as she was in his time. Azkaban had really done a number on her, but she had never been tortured by Dementors in this time.

Harry clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper in check. This  _ bitch  _ had killed his godfather and countless other people. She had tortured Neville’s parents to insanity. It would be so easy to just kill her now. She would never expect it. Two words, a flick of a wand, that’s all it would take to save all the people she killed. Harry shook his head. He couldn’t kill her now. It would ruin all his plans. No, he would have to wait.

Harry glanced at the people that surrounded her. The carriage seemed to be separated into light and dark. To Bella’s right sat the women who Harry owed his life to. Narcissa Black sat primly by her twin. Although they were twins, they couldn’t be more opposite. While Bellatrix had a violent streak, Narcissa was cold. She was the perfect pureblood lady in every aspect. Her clothes and blonde hair were impeccable, nothing out of place, but what caught Harry’s attention was her mask. Even now, at seventeen, she had perfected the look of cold indifference that every pureblood needed, but her family had never been able to perfect. Both Draco and Lucius had a penchant for splaying their emotions on their faces.

To Narcissa’s left sat Lucius in all his self-righteous glory. He was a lot more...provocative in this time. Harry had to keep himself from shuddering when Lucius looked him up and down again, oblivious to Harry’s discomfort, and winked suggestively. It was so wrong for his former nemesis’ parent to be looking at him like that. 

A dark chuckle brought Harry’s attention to the person on Bella’s left. It took him a few seconds to figure out who the strange man was. Rabastan Lestrange. The younger brother of Rodolphus Lestrange, the Bellatrix’s husband. With his dark curls and even darker eyes, he truly looked like a pureblood.

Rabastan chuckled again. “Well, are you going to answer the lady’s question,  _ little boy _ ?” 

Regulus snarled, “Why would I listen to you? At least, I’m not my brother’s  _ lap dog _ .”

Rabastan eyes darkened dangerously and a sneer formed on his face. Harry quickly stepped in front of Regulus before things could get out of hand.

Harry smirked and held out his hand. “It’s not his job to introduce me anyway. I’m Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin, and you are?”

The entire carriage froze except for Lucius, who looked like the cat who ate the canary. Bellatrix got a calculating look in her eyes and put on a fake smile as she took his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Emrys-Slytherin. I think we can expect great things from you. I’m Bellatrix Black.”

Harry didn’t stop to ponder how she knew the words that Ollivander had said so long ago as he brought his lips to her hands. He tried not to gag in order to keep up the premises of the perfect pureblood lord he needed to be. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

Bellatrix gave him a small flirtatious smile before she started to interrogate him. “Well, you certainly have all the training of a lord. May I ask where you’ve hidden yourself away all this time?  Your lines were thought to have been extinct.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. He hadn’t thought she would immediately question him. He leaned forward and winked at her. “But that would be telling,” He said with a grin. Bellatrix’s mask couldn’t hide the fact that she was slightly startled, or maybe it was the fact that her mask was so much better when she was older and crazier. 

Bellatrix pouted dramatically. “And here I thought you were fun.”

Harry chuckled thinking back to all the adventures he had had. “Trust me. I can be  _ very  _ fun.”

Harry glanced at her twin and smiled gently. “And who might you be?”

Narcissa looked slightly surprised at being addressed, her fingers twitching slightly in her lap, but she hid it better than her sister. Evidently, Narcissa was used to being overshadowed by her sister. She dipped her head respectfully and answered, “I’m Narcissa Black; Bella’s sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and may I say on behalf of the Slytherin House, welcome to Hogwarts.”

Harry grinned. “Thank you. I’m sure I’m going to enjoy my year here.”

Narcissa tilted her head in confusion. “Year? Are you only going to attend for a year?”

“I’m afraid so. I don’t think they’ll allow me to stay after I complete my seventh year,” He said chuckling slightly.

Narcissa’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh! I didn’t realize we were in the same year.”

Harry rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, very few people think I’m seventeen. Damn my height! It shall always be a curse!” He said jokingly.

Narcissa covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled before she leaned forward and loudly whispered to him, “Don’t worry. They say people who are shorter are usually smarter than their taller counterparts.”

Harry pretend to look shocked. “Really?! Who told you this! I must meet them and thank them for finally acknowledging my brilliance!” Harry said dramatically.

“But that would be telling,” Narcissa smirked as she threw his own line back at him.

A quiet snort interrupted Harry’s next comment. Harry glanced over at the corner where the noise had come from. He had almost forgotten about the fifth person in the carriage. Although the corner was dark, Harry knew who was there. Harry stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Hadrian.”

The boy glanced up through the dark hair that hung in front of his face before taking his hand. It was calloused from use which was odd considering the people he was with were all pureblood and wouldn’t dare be seen doing something as menial labor. “I’m Severus. Severus Snape.”

Harry grinned at the boy hoping he would look friendly, but only causing Severus to scowl at him. Harry tried not to wince and tuned down his smile. “Nice to meet you.”

Severus sneered at him. “Pleasure.”

Before Harry could answer the carriage pulled to a stop. 

“Looks like we’re here,” Bellatrix said as she stood up. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

The group quickly exited the carriage and started to head to the castle. Regulus and Harry followed the group quietly before Regulus leaned over to him and asked, “Why were you so nice to them? Usually, people play the political game, but you were actually  _ nice _ ! Do you know who they are?”

Harry smirked slightly and whispered back, “Of course I know who they are. You would have  to be blind not to be able to tell. And who says I wasn’t playing the political game?”

Regulus peered up at him through the darkness, trying to figure him out. “You’re an odd one, Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin.”

Harry smiled and chuckled quietly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Regulus!” Bellatrix called shrilly from the front of the group before them as the entered the entrance hall. “Hurry up, cousin, if you want a good seat at the table!” She glanced back at Harry. “I have a suspicion that this is going to be a very interesting sorting ceremony.”

“I’m coming!” Regulus called before turning back to Harry. “Well, it looks like I’m going to have to leave you here with the firsties. Hopefully, it won’t damage your reputation!” Regulus said smirked before he ran after the group of future Death Eaters.

Harry shook his head as he carefully slipped into the Great Hall, casting a silent Notice Me Not charm so people wouldn’t wonder who the new kid was. Harry refused to wander in with the first years. It would truly damage his reputation (he hadn’t been joking when he told Regulus that) if everybody saw the new Lord Emrys-Slytherin stumble into the hall with a bunch of nervous firsties, not to mention it would be terribly embarrassing.        

Harry looked around the hall. There were more people here than there was in his time. Even before the war started again and children were pulled out of school by worried parents, Harry couldn’t remember a time when the hall was so full. And this was without the first years. Harry carefully looked around the room, but nobody seemed to think the large number of students was odd. In fact, people seemed to be looking for people who were missing. Harry could easily see the signs of students asking where certain friends were. They always had a certain look that was a mixture of sadness and worry.

Suddenly Harry felt somebody watching him. Harry had to suppress a growl. He knew he should have used a stronger charm. Harry looked up at the head table and his eyes immediately connected with twinkling sky blue eyes he hoped to never see again. Harry quickly strengthened his occlumency walls in case Dumbledore tried to peek into his thoughts. He couldn’t afford the old fool to learn who he truly was. Harry had to fight a scowl from appearing on his face when Dumbledore’s eyes brightened and gave a grandfatherly smile to him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the doors to the Great Hall were flung open and McGonagall walked in leading a large group of first years. Harry smiled slightly as he took in their nervous faces and stumbling figures. Harry remembered when he was just like them, half terrified he would be sorted into Slytherin and half terrified he wouldn’t be sorted at all. Harry blinked himself out of his thoughts as the students who were previously rowdy and loud quieted down and listened to the old sorting hat open its mouth and start to sing.

 

_ There were once four friends _

_ Who cared a lot _

_ About our shining school _

_ They never fought or had a thought _

_ About how they were fools _

 

_ ‘We are such great friends’ they all would claim _

_ ‘So how could we ever fight?’ _

_ But all their claims drew to an end  _

_ The night their secrets came to light _

 

_ Bad blood began to spread _

_ Between our founders four _

_ Their friendship began to crumble _

_ And they trusted each other no more _

 

_ That was the end of a legacy  _

_ That graced these sacred halls _

_ And if you do not heed my warning _

_ Hogwarts will be the next to fall _

 

_ It is no secret that war is here _

_ As loved ones continue to die _

_ But I do not fault you for this war _

_ For it is your leaders who continue to lie _

 

_ Although this war is not your own _

_ It will be yours if  ignore _

_ All the people who are dying _

_ Because of something as silly as ancient lore _

 

_ So stand up now and join the fight _

_ Against those who kill your kin _

_ But be careful who you trust _

_ For even your heroes can sin _

 

_ Now is the time to stand together _

_ And unite the houses once more _

_ For there is a secret legacy in your midst _

_ Who will help you win this war _

 

_ There is still time to save our world _

_ If you listen to me speak _

_ Protect one another and unite our school _

_ And it will not be your end you meet _

 

Harry watched as the students stared at each other in shock. The hall was completely silent. Evidently they had never heard a sorting song so dark before, unlike Harry. The sorting songs had become darker and darker with every year when Harry was in school. Harry looked at the hat. He sincerely hoped that the ‘legacy’ the hat had been referring to wasn’t him, but no matter how much he tried to convince himself, Harry couldn’t think of anyone else that it could be. Whispers began to fill the hall as people began to debate what the sorting hat had meant. 

Harry’s eyes snapped to the teacher’s table as Dumbledore stood. It could not have been a coincident that the hat had sung about lying leaders. Harry could think of several people in positions of power who were ruled by their own greed or need of glory rather than the good of the wizarding world. Harry wondered if this threw a wrench in any of Dumbledore’s plans.

“Now, now,” Dumbledore called over the loud whispers, “The sorting hat is a strange thing. It has been known to speak in riddles before, but that does not mean everything it says is a prophecy. There is no need to worry. You are perfectly safe at Hogwarts.”

Dumbledore looked down at the crowd of students, his eyes twinkling. “Now I believe we have tallied too long. Let the sorting begin!” Dumbledore said dramatically, spreading his arms wide before sitting down.

McGonagall nodded sharply before turning back to the first years and began the sorting. Harry zoned out, the names of little use to him. He glanced around the hall again his eyes lingering on the Slytherin table where Regulus sat. He was with sitting beside Severus at the edge of the most powerful group in school. Bellatrix sat regally at the middle of the table surrounded by other various Death Eaters Harry could recognize.

Harry’s eyes wandered through the hall, looking at people who looked vaguely familiar and trying to guess which family they were from. Harry couldn’t help it. Eventually, he looked down the Gryffindor table. It was loud and boisterous; the students cheering loudly whenever a first year was sorted into the house. Slowly his eyes looked for the loudest group. A group of fours boys would stand and cheer whenever someone was sorted into Gryffindor, reminding Harry so much of how the Weasley twins cheered for him when he was sorted. Harry couldn’t stop staring at them. The Marauders. They looked so happy now, even though there was a warning just moments ago about their imminent death if they did not end this war. They were laughing and smiling and just so,  _ so _ happy. It had been a long time since Harry had seen anyone act so freely.

He eventually tore his eyes away from his father’s friends and looked further down the table before he froze. Fiery red hair caught his attention. “Mum,” Harry whispered. She was stunning, gorgeous, beautiful. Okay, maybe Harry was exaggerating a little bit, but how could he not. That was his  _ mother _ , the mother who had died for him, laughing with a group of friends. The only memory he had of Lily was of her begging for his life and here she was smiling kindly at her friends. Harry couldn’t wait to meet her.

The room became silent once more as Harry realized the sorting for the first years must be over. Students began to whisper loudly again as they wondered why dinner wasn’t being served. Dumbledore slowly stood up, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

Dumbledore’s eyes were twinkling dangerously in a way that always meant he was up to something. Harry did not like that look at all. “As some of you may know, somebody in the wizarding world has caused quite the stir by accepting a few titles that have been previously thought long dead,” Harry’s eyes narrowed. He did not like where this was going. “Shortly after this, the same person approached me and asked to attend his last year of schooling here. How could I possibly refuse when it was one of his ancestors that had helped create this school? Now, I do believe he needs to be sorted... May I present to you Lord Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin.”       

Loud gasps filled the room, and students glanced wildly around the room, looking for the mysterious new lord that was related to both Merlin  _ and  _ Slytherin. Harry tried not to grimace as he canceled the Notice Me Not charm and walked past the gaping students to the sorting hat. Harry struggled to keep his face completely blank. He was seething inside. This was not how he wanted everybody’s first impression of him to be. He wanted to blend in for at least a little while before rumors of his heritage spread, but Dumbledore had ruined those plans in the blink of an eye. Not only were his plans ruined, but it was more than likely that most people now probably thought he was a pureblood supremacist. It didn’t surprise Harry that Dumbledore had seemed to stress the fact that he was Lord Slytherin to the entire student body. Harry knew about the prejudice against anything even remotely related to Slytherin, after all, for the first few years of his schooling he had despised everything about Slytherin because he thought it was dark. Harry’s lips turned up in a bit of a smile, but Harry squashed the desire to smile before he would ruin his perfectly blank mask. Yes, he had been completely wrong back then.

Harry ignored the stares and sat down on the stool. He glanced one last time at the shocked students before the hat was placed over his head.

_ Hello, again _ , Harry heard the hat whisper in his head. 

Harry smiled slightly.  _ ‘I’m surprised you remember me since we technically haven’t met before’ _

The hat snorted.  _ Like I could forget you. I must say you were one of the most interesting people I have sorted. _

_ ‘Thanks, I guess?’ _

Harry thought if the hat had eyes he would be rolling them by now.  _ You were also one of the hardest people to sort if I remember correctly. Now let’s get to the sorting so we don’t worry that nosy headmaster of yours. _

Harry grimaced.  _ ‘You’re not going to tell him about anything in my head, right? I’ve worked very hard to keep him out, and I wouldn’t like all my efforts to be useless.’ _

The hat shuddered, and Harry heard whispering start up from the students.  _ I am the Sorting Hat! Everything I see is confidential! I’m almost insulted that you thought I would do such a thing! _

_ ‘Sorry! Sorry, I just had to make sure you wouldn’t tell Dumbledore. I apologize if I offended you.’ _

_ Humph, you should be sorry! Me, tell that old coot anything! That is just ridiculous! _

Harry sighed, trying to ignore the loud whisperings from the hall.  _ ‘Sorry for rushing you, but we need to hurry. People are getting impatient, and I can’t afford people getting suspicious of me.’ _

The hat sighed. _ Yes, I suppose. It’s just sad I don’t get to actually talk with anybody these days. The first years are always too scared to talk to me. _

Harry smiled slightly. ‘ _ I’ll try to come talk to you soon. But now you need to sort me!’ _

_ Hmm,  _ the hat hummed, _ where should I put you? Not Hufflepuff. You would eat them alive. They are too naive for you, and you would only scare them. _

Harry nodded, secretly thankful. Harry wouldn’t know what to do if the hat put him into Hufflepuff. It would destroy all his plans.

The hat chuckled sensing his relief.  _ There’s Ravenclaw. You are smarter than you give yourself credit for. You could easily outsmart most of the Ravenclaws just from the amount of experience you’ve had in your life. _

Harry tensed. He couldn’t see himself as a Ravenclaw. _ But the house doesn’t suit you. You’re more street smart than book smart. They have to follow the rules, but you have been known to break rules daily. You would be an outcast in that house. I can’t put you there.  _

The hat paused. _ That only leaves two. The same two as last time. There’s Gryffindor, the house of the brave. You have already proven your bravery time and time again. You fought and survived the war. Very few people can say they did that… But I don’t think that house fits you anymore. _

Harry sat up straight, alarmed.  _ ‘What! But I need to go there! All my plans involve me being in Gryffindor. It’s my house. I’ve always been a Gryffindor! I can’t save everyone I’m trying to save if I’m in Slytherin! My parents, the marauders, hell the student body as a whole, won’t trust me!’ _

The hat sighed.  _ I’ve reviewed your plans, Harry. They can be easily changed. In fact, I think you can accomplish more if you were in Slytherin. Harry, this plan you are trying to accomplish it’s a sign of ambition! You went back in time to save everybody, and if that’s not ambition, I don’t know what is! The war...it’s made you more cunning. You’re not the brave little Gryffindor you were in first year. You don’t just charge into a fight anymore! You know when it’s better to try diplomacy or when it’s better to run. You are not the same person you were when you started at Hogwarts. I know you don’t want to admit it, but the war changed you. You wouldn’t do well in Gryffindor. They won’t accept you. _

Harry flinched slightly. Gryffindor was his home, his only hope. Everything would be ruined if he wasn’t in Gryffindor. His parents would never trust him.

_ But if you were in Slytherin _ , the hat tried to convince him,  _ you could be great! It’s all right here in your head! I said it before, and I will say it again. You could do so much in Slytherin. You could destroy this war from the inside out! Not to mention, you are a true Slytherin. You haven’t been a foolish Gryffindor for many years, Harry. _

   Harry’s mind began to raise. I didn’t sound like he was going to convince the hat not to sort him into Slytherin like he did in his first year. Harry would have to try something different this time.

_ ‘You’re right,’  _ Harry thought, _ ‘I’m not that same Gryffindor I was in my first year. I haven’t been that person for years. The war forced me to use my Slytherin side more than my Gryffindor side, and now that’s who I am. I’m a Slytherin.’ _

The hat cut him off,  _ I’m glad you understand. _ It opened its mouth to call out Harry’s new house.

_ ‘Wait!’ _ Harry called,  _ ‘I can’t go into Slytherin! If I’m sorted into Slytherin nobody will trust me. I can’t afford that!’ _

The hat sighed in frustration.  _ But you are a Slytherin! It’s where you belong! If you go back to Gryffindor, they will never accept you! _

_ ‘I know!’  _ Harry cried,  _ ‘But I’m willing to accept that! My house used to turn against me all the time. I lived through it then; I can live through it now! And anyway,’ _ Harry thought with a smirk,  _ ‘What’s more Slytherin than a snake hiding in the house of the lions?’ _

The hat froze before slumping.  _ You are too cunning for your own good. _

_ ‘Listen to me!’  _ Harry tried to convince the hat,  _ ‘They’ll never suspect me! I can do so much hidden in Gryffindor! If I was in Slytherin, everybody would be wary of me! But if they think I’m a goody two-shoes that follows Dumbledore…’ _

_ They’ll trust you more.  _ The hat finished for him.  _ Fine. I’ll sort you into Gryffindor. But heed my warning! This will not turn out like you want it to! They won’t accept you!  _ GRYFFINDOR!!!

_ ‘Thank you,’ _ Harry thought as he stood up.  _ You are a fool, Harry Potter. _ The hat whispered before Harry took it off and handed it to a gaping McGonagall.

Harry started to walk to the Gryffindor table before he paused. When he had been first been announced as a Gryffindor, there had been a slight splattering of applause from the muggleborn first years, but it had pattered out when they had realized nobody else was clapping. The entire hall was looking at him in shock, and the Gryffindor table was looking at him in slight revulsion. Harry ignored the looks and held his head up high as he walked proudly to his table before sitting down at the end away from everybody else.

Harry finally dared a glance at the Slytherin table. They looked… betrayed. It was obvious the main group was trying to hide their confusion and betrayal, but it was still there, not quite hidden behind their masks. Bellatrix was still trying to act like she was in control, but the entire house was ignoring her in favor of glaring at Harry. Harry glanced at where Severus and Regulus were sitting. Severus was sneering at him like he had when Harry had completely failed a potions exam. And Regulus looked absolutely  _ crushed _ . Harry felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t even thought about Regulus. He probably thought that Harry was going to turn out like Sirius. Maybe he should have thought about this more.

“Well, that was a… interesting sorting,” Dumbledore finally said, “Well we have postponed dinner long enough! Nitflick! Rummundo! Florence! Enjoy your meal, everyone!”

Harry shook his head at the headmaster’s antics. He didn’t know why Dumbledore even tried to convince people that he was doing magic to summon the meal. Everybody knew the house elves sent up the food from the kitchens as soon as the sorting was over. Sometimes the headmaster’s grandfatherly act really pissed him off.

Harry slowly began to fill his plate. “Hello,” somebody to his right said. Harry looked up before freezing. Lily Potter was standing right beside him with her group of friends slightly behind her. “I’m Lily. Welcome to Hogwarts.”

“Har-Hadrian. Pleasure to meet you,” Harry said as he shook her hand. 

Lily smiled before gesturing to her friends. “Do you mind if we sit with you? You looked kind of lonely.”

Harry nodded dumbly as her group of friends sat down with him. “So,” a vaguely familiar brunette in front of him. She had a cute spiky pixie cut and a happy sparkle in her eyes. She looked so familiar. “Lord Emrys-Slytherin, huh? What are you doing in Gryffindor?”

Lily reached over the table to swat at her arm. “Alice! Don’t be rude! You haven’t even introduced yourself yet!”

Harry perked up at the mention of the girl’s name. There was only one Alice he knew from this time, but surely it wasn’t her. Alice was a fairly common name, after all.

The girl rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling at Harry. “My name’s Alice Meadows. There, now I’ve introduced myself.”

Lily groaned. “I’m never going to get you to act polite, am I?”

Alice giggled slightly. “Nope,” she said popping the P, “You’ve been trying since first year, and it hasn’t worked yet!”

Harry paled. Neville had once mentioned his mother’s maiden name was Meadows. Sitting in front of him was Alice Longbottom. She looked nothing like the poor women Harry had seen in his fifth year who collected candy wrappers. No, in this time she looked genuinely happy. She was always smiling, and her once dull hazel eyes had a certain spark in them now. Harry opened his mouth to say Merlin knows what to her when he was interrupted by the blonde girl sitting to his left. 

“Anyway,” she said, rolling her eyes at her friend’s antics, “I’m Marlene Mckinnon, and this bashful girl in front of me,” she kicked the quiet girl in front of her under the table and ignoring her shout of protest, “Is Guinevere, but we all call her Gwen.”

Harry smiled at the two girls. It was obvious that Marlene and Alice were the most outgoing of the group. Gwen was evidently shy although Harry didn’t understand why. The girl was beautiful with her dark curly hair and bronze skin color. Harry wouldn’t be surprised if boys constantly asked her out. 

“What made you decide to come to Hogwarts?” his mother asked, drawing his attention back to her. She looked so friendly and curious. Harry tried not to stare at her, but it was extremely hard. He wanted to look for any similarities. They truly did have the same eyes, but Harry wanted to find more similar features.

“I always wanted to come here, but my parents homeschooled me. I was forced to make other arrangements after they died.”

Lily looked aghast. “I’m so sorry! I hadn’t realized!” she said sincerely before glaring at her friends, “Guys, you’re supposed to stop me before my curiosity gets the best of me!”

Her friends shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry, Lils,” They mumbled.

Harry chuckled slightly. “It’s alright. You didn’t know.”

Lily still looked glum. “I still feel bad...”

Harry shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

This seemed to make Lily even more upset. “But you shouldn’t be used to it! You should be used to be giving you condolences, not being forced to explain your parents dead!”

“Lily, do you mind if I call you Lily? It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

Lily began to play with the food on her plate as an awkward silence enveloped their section of the table. Harry sighed. Honestly, girls were too emotional sometimes.

“So,” Harry said awkwardly, “What classes are you guys in?”

They group perked up, happy to get away from the depressing topic. Harry listened as they chattered on about their favorite classes and what classes they were taking this year. As the time passed, Harry realized that he was surrounded by some fairly brilliant people. They were all taking advanced classes and had done well in them in the past. Harry was surprised they hadn’t been placed in Ravenclaw. Eventually, the conversation slowed as they realized very few people were left in the Great Hall.

“Shoot,” Lily muttered, “We should probably head up to the common room. Come on, Hadrian, we’ll show you where it’s at.”

The group of girls stood up except for Gwen who looked slightly concerned. “But, Lily, he’s barely even touched his food! We should wait for him to finish.”

Harry glanced down at his plate. It was true. He had barely eaten, but Harry was used to not eating. Through the years, Harry had developed a small appetite. Plus, Harry was still partly recuperating from the war. It had only been a few months ago when he had been happy to have a meal a day.

Harry shook his head and stood. “No, I’m fine. Let’s go to the common room.”

Gwen still looked hesitant. “You need to eat something…”

Harry gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry. It was just nerves. I’ll eat something in the morning.”

Gwen finally stood up if somewhat hesitantly. Alice grabbed his arm dragged him out of the hall. “Come on! I want to show you the castle!” 

Harry laughed as the group of friendly girls dragged him around the castle showing him various mundane things as they took the long way to the Gryffindor common room. Yes, it was nice to be back at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, Bad, Terrible? Let me know in the comments below! Did I have a terrible sorting hat song? I hope not; it took me a while to write. What did you think about Harry's interactions with Bella and her gang? Oh! And I know Bella and Narcissa weren't twins, but I really wanted Bella to be in the same year as Harry so this is what I came up with. What about Harry's mom and friends? Did you know there is not one mention in the books about Alice's maiden name? Yep! So, I gave her an entirely new name. Hoped you liked it. Anyway... I hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for reading!


	9. Drunken Interagation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gryffindors have a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back everybody! Sorry for the late update. I've been sick lately and haven't felt like writing. Hopefully, you'll like this new chapter. There's some Marauder interaction. Enjoy the chapter! Don't be afraid to tell me what you think.

“So, what do you think of Hogwarts?” Alice asked as she drug him up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady. The trip to the common room had turned into an hour long tour of the castle that ended with the girls lost more often than him.

“It’s more magnificent than I ever thought it could be,” Harry said sincerely.

Gwen looked at him curiously. “Really? If you weren’t suspecting this, what were you suspecting?”

Harry got a far off look in his eye. The castle was much different than it was in his time. Although it looked the same as it had before the Final Battle took place here, the atmosphere was completely different. During Harry’s time, the school had been darker, and there had always been a slight undercurrent of fear. Hogwarts seemed so much lighter now as if the war wasn’t affecting the school at all, but Harry knew better. He could see the beginnings of the war starting to show in certain students, but it still wasn’t as bad as it had been in his time. “I don’t know. It wasn’t this.”

 Lily looked at him, slightly concerned before pulling him the last few steps to the common room entrance. She gave him a small smile. “Are you ready to enter the house of the brave?”

Harry gave her a slight smile before pulling his mask on, leaving his face completely blank. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She nodded before saying the passworded to the Fat Lady, “Leonis animum.”

Loud music came blaring out of the common room as the portrait swung open. Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

A party was in full swing. The common room was packed with all the upper lever Gryffindors. Evidently, Harry and the girls had stayed out long enough that the first years to be sent to bed. Groups of teenagers were scattered throughout the room either dancing or catching up with friends. Somebody must have been brave enough or stupid enough to smuggle in alcohol. Harry’s bet was on the Marauders. Most of the students were drinking Butterbeer, but some of the most daring students were drinking Firewhiskey.

“Evans!” a voice called out from the crowd. Sirius Black pushed his way through the crowd of teenagers. He had lost his robes sometime during the party and his uniform was askew and untidy. “Where’ve you been? You almost missed the party!”

Lily looked at the party, not even trying to mask her disdain. “You do realize that tomorrow’s a school day, right?”

Sirius shrugged carelessly, flipping his hair. “So? Why not have fun now?”

Alice looked at Lily pleadingly. “Come on. Can’t we have a little fun? I mean, we can show Hadrian how to party the Gryffindor way.” Alice winked suggestively. Harry tried to suppress a shudder.

Sirius finally looked over at Harry. Sirius eyed him carefully, silently judging him. “So you’re the new Lord Slytherin, huh? Thought that line had died out.”

Harry tensed a little, but he had expected a reaction like this. “Technically Lord Emrys-Slytherin.”

Sirius’ eyes narrowed. “That’s right. Almost forgot about that. What are you doing in Gryffindor since you have both Emrys  _ and _ Slytherin blood running through you?”

“It’s where the hat put me; you can’t argue against it,” Harry had to hide to hide a smile at the irony, “Whatever happened to not judging a book by its cover? After all, you are the black sheep of your own family, Mr. Black.”

Sirius’ eyes narrowed even further. “So you didn’t want to be in Gryffindor.”

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course, Sirius would only focus on that. “No, I wanted to be a Hufflepuff,” Harry said sarcastically, ignoring how Sirius’ eyebrows skyrocketed in surprise, “It was just an expression.”

Sirius continued to scowl at him. “Why did you even transfer to Hogwarts, anyway? Get kicked out of your old school? Must have been done something pretty bad for you to be expelled a year before you graduate.”

“I was homeschooled.”

Sirius scoffed before smirking slightly. “What happened? Your parents get sick of you?”

“They died,” Harry said stiffly.

Sirius paused looking a little remorseful before masking it. “What happened?”

Harry stared at Sirius in shock. He hadn’t expected his godfather to be so harsh. He had expected Sirius to be suspicious and standoffish, but he had not been expecting this. Who asks someone how their parents died? “It’s none of your business,” Harry ground out.

Lily glanced worriedly between the two guys before sharing a look with her friends.  Alice quickly bounced in front of Sirius asking about Quidditch tryouts and Gwen gently pulled Harry into a slightly less crowded part of the room.

“Sorry about him. He can be a little… cruel sometimes. It’s not on purpose! Well, it kind of is…” Gwen rambled. Harry quirked an eyebrow at her and gave her a small smile. 

Gwen sighed. “He’s just trying to protect his friends. Black doesn’t trust very easily, and you’re new, not to mention a Slytherin.”

Gwen looked at him with wide worried eyes. “That doesn’t mean you’re evil or anything! It’s just Sirius has had bad experiences with Slytherins.”

Harry sighed. “I can understand. I didn’t expect people to trust me, hell, even like me right off the bat, but that gives him no right to be rude.”

 Gwen bit her lip. “Give him a few days. Maybe him and the rest of them will warm up to you? I mean, they’ve never had to deal with anybody besides themselves, so maybe that’s why they’re giving you the cold shoulder.”

“They? Who’s they?”

Gwen laughed quietly. “I forgot you didn’t know them. They’re so popular here, it almost seems like they’re famous. They have a certain charisma to them. I was talking about the seventh year Gryffindor boys. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They call themselves the Marauders. They’ll be your dorm mates.”

“The Marauders, huh? Also known as thieves, outlaws, and bandits. Should I be worried?”

Gwen shook her head no before nodding. “A little. Try not to get on their bad sides. Their pranks are practically famous here. The teachers can’t stop them. You don’t want to get on their bad side. They can make your life a living hell.”

Harry eyed Gwen curiously. He had always wanted to know what the Marauder’s were truly like. Depending on who he talked to they were either a funny, well liked group or a cruel group of bullies. He really hoped his father was more than a bully. “Can you tell me what they’re like?”

“Well, there’s James Potter. He’s the leader of their group and practically a brother to Sirius in everything but blood,” Gwen paused and cocked her head, “Actually, I think they’re related by blood. I think there is some Black blood in the Potter’s family line or something. I don’t know; I always get the families mixed up.”

“You’re a pureblood?” Harry asked curiously.

Gwen looked at him surprised before laughing. “No. No, I’m just a muggleborn. I did a lot of research when I first found out about the wizarding world.”

Harry nodded quietly. “You know, one of my best friends was a muggleborn. One of the smartest people I knew. She always had a book in her hand, researching something or the other.”

A sad look entered Gwen’s eyes. She must have thought Hermione had died in the war. “Past tense? What happened?”

Harry gave her a small, sad smile. “She didn’t die or anything. We had a disagreement a few months back, and evidently she couldn’t get over it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Gwen said quietly, “I know what that feels like.”

“You have an argument with a friend?”

Gwen looked down. “A long time ago. He was my best friend, but he just couldn’t get over the shock…” 

Gwen shook her head before forcing a fake smile on her face. “Anyway, the Marauders. So, Potter is the ringleader. His Dad’s an Auror; could get away with murder if he wanted to. He comes up with most of their pranks, but he can be really sweet sometimes. He claims he’s been in love with Lily since first year, and I almost believe him. You should see some of the ways he’s tried to convince Lily to go out with him. He hides it, but I think he’s a hopeless romantic.”

“Then there’s Black,” Gwen continued, “He’s the black sheep of the Black family. He was supposed to be in Slytherin, but he somehow wound up in Gryffindor. Ever since he’s been trying to make sure nobody mistakes him for a Slytherin. He’s loyal, almost to a fault. Black would do anything for his friends, but anyone else is fair game. He’s extremely protective of his friends, even went against his own brother for them,” Gwen looked at him nervously, “He’s a playboy and an excessive flirt. You might want to be careful with him.”

“I think I’ll be fine, Guinevere,” Harry said confidently.

Gwen shrugged. “You wouldn’t be the first one to say that.”

“What about the other two? You mentioned a Remus and a...Peter, was it?”

Gwen blinked before smiling. “You’re right. The next one is Remus Lupin. He’s the brains of the group. I honestly don’t know how he didn’t end up in Ravenclaw. He’s one of the smartest people in the school,” Gwen grinned, “Also one of the sassiest.” 

Harry blinked at her, confused. 

Gwen chuckled lightly, Unbelievable right? Usually, the smart ones follow by the rules, but not him. He’s the mastermind of all their pranks. He never gets caught, though. All the teachers think he’s this sweet kid that somehow got mixed up with the wrong crowd, but none of them realize he’s the one that pulls off the most impressive pranks. The only time he does get caught is when the whole group goes down. You know that saying ‘all for one, and one for all’? The group takes it quite literally. They always go down together.”

Gwen paused. “The last Marauder is Peter Pettigrew. He’s… different...”  
Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. “Different? What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t fit in with the rest of the group,” Gwen said slowly, “Like everyone has their spot, you know? Potter’s the leader, Black’s playboy, and Lupin is the brains of the whole thing, but Pettigrew doesn’t have a place. It was like he was just thrown into their group.”

Gwen shrugged. “That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. I mean, he’s a good guy. A little plain. Not the brightest crayon in the box if you know what I mean,” Gwen laughed quietly, “But he’s loyal to the group. He’s willing to do anything for them.”

Harry nodded absent-mindedly. When had Peter changed? He had obviously cared about Harry’s parents, but he had been willing to rat them out to Voldemort not even three years later. Maybe Peter was still good in this time?

“So these are going to be my dorm mates, huh? Sounds like I should be on my guard.”

Gwen’s eyes widened, and she started shaking her head frantically. “No! No, that’s not what I meant at all! I just wanted to warn you...” Gwen stuttered.

Harry smiled kindly at the girl. “I only meant I’m going to make sure they don’t prank the hell out of me. I’ll wait until I actually know them to pass judgment unlike  _ somebody _ I know,” Harry said looking over his shoulder to where Sirius was dancing haphazardly on one of the couches, clearly intoxicated.

Gwen smiled. “It looks like you’re a lot calmer than the rest of us Gryffindors.”

“I’ve had some practice,” Harry claimed.

A blonde streak suddenly flashed by Harry. “GWWWEEEEEENNNNN!!!” a giggling voice squealed. Marlene tackled Gwen giggling madly. “Gwen, you should  _ totally _ come join the party!!! It’s so much fun, and you’ve been stuck here in this lonely corner. Unless you’re making the moves on the hot new lord.”

Marlene winked exaggeratedly at Gwen before making a shushing motion. “Shh! Don’t tell him I said that! That would be embarrassing!” She said in a loud whisper.

Gwen rolled her eyes and tried to push Marlene off of her. “How much did you have to drink? We haven’t been gone that long. You can usually hold your alcohol.”

Marlene looked around wildly before leaning in close to Gwen. “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but the Marauders made this new kind of Firewhiskey that is  _ sooo _ good! It’s super secret stuff, so shh!”

   “So they’ve upgraded from pranks to making alcohol?” Harry asked, stepping closer to the pair of girls so Marlene would notice him. 

Marlene jumped and almost fell over giggling. “Hadrian! My old friend, when did you get here?” Marlene turned to face Gwen again, “Did he hear me say he was smokin’ hot?”

Harry blushed slightly and tried to stutter out a response. After a few failed attempts Gwen took pity on him. “Come on, Marlene. I think you’ve had enough. Time for bed,” Gwen said trying to drag her friend to their dorms. 

“Nooooo! I wanna stay!” Marlene whined before she collapsed completely, landing in a heap on the floor. She giggled. “Ashes to ashes, we all fall down!” She flung her arms out dramatically and laid on the floor.

Gwen looked down at her exasperated. She grabbed one of her friend’s arms and tried to pull the drunk girl up, but Marlene refused to budge. Gwen looked up at Harry pleadingly. “Do you think you’d be able to carry her?”

  Harry nodded. Although he didn’t look it, Harry was a lot stronger than the everyday teenage boy. The war had built up his strength as well as his knowledge of magic. “How are you going to get her into the dorms? I’ve read that they don’t allow the opposite gender into them.”

Gwen grinned slightly. “Let me worry about that.”

Harry shrugged and carefully picked up Marlene bridal style. She giggled and flung her arms around his neck. “My knight in shining armor!”

Gwen quickly lead Harry through the mass of drunk teenagers to the girls’ dormitory. When they got to the stairs, Gwen grinned mischievously at Harry before placing her hand on one of the stones on the wall and mumbling a few words. She motioned at him to follow her, not seeing one of the people in the crowd of drunk teenagers watching them. “Come on. You can enter now.”

Harry glanced at the stairway nervously. He had seen Ron try to run up these stairs, and it had not been pretty. It took months for him to live down the embarrassment or for him to walk anywhere close to the girls dorms. Harry took a deep breath and stepped on the first step. When screams didn’t pierce the air Harry relaxed and followed Gwen to the last dorm room. Gwen held open the door for him as he walked and looked around. There was nothing special about the room. It looked exactly the boys with the scarlet beds in a circle. Gwen pointed to one of the beds, and Harry carefully set Marlene on it.

“How did you get me up here? I thought the walls screamed or something if a guy came up here?”

Gwen grinned lightly. “It does, but there was a counter-enchantment also built in. It was mainly built in for the girls’ safety. Like if all the teachers were guys, they would have a way to get up here.”

Harry looked at her confused. “So just anyone can come up here?”

Gwen tilted her head. “Yes and no. Any guy can come up here, but the only way they can is with a girl’s consent. That’s what I was doing with the stone,” Gwen explain, “Plus the spell automatically checks your intentions. So, if you wanted to… you know… with one of the girls, the walls would start screaming.”  

  Harry nodded slowly.Why didn’t Hermione ever use the counter-spell in their time? It would have made things a lot easier at times.

Gwen started to take off Marlene’s shoes. “You don’t have to stay. I’m just going to put her to bed and get ready for bed myself.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed, “Good luck with the other girls when they come in.”

Gwen shuddered before mumbling. “When did I become the mom friend?”

Harry grinned. “When you began to worry about your friends’ stupidity.”

Gwen moaned and fell onto one of the beds. “That was a stupid decision.”

Harry merely chuckled and went back to the party in order to let her sleep. The party was still in full swing. Harry looked at all the empty bottles of Firewhiskey and winced. It looked as if a lot of people were going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. Harry glanced around the room for Lily and Alice. He chuckled as he saw Alice dancing with a… Hufflepuff? How’d he get in here? They were both clearly drunk, and their dancing mainly consisted of them trying not to fall over as they held each other up. Across the room by the bookshelves, Lily was arguing with James. James was swaying slightly, but clearly not as drunk as the other teenagers in the common room. Harry had to hold back a laugh as James dramatically fell to his knees and begged Lily to dance with him. Harry did laugh when Lily simply rolled her eyes and pushed him causing him to fall backward and lay sprawled out on the floor. Several people who hadn’t noticed the commotion tripped over James as they danced causing a large dog pile in the middle of the floor.

Lily kicked his foot before storming to over to the staircase to the girls’ dorms. She stopped when she noticed Harry standing in the shadows. “Oh, Hadrian! I didn’t realize you were still down here.”

Harry grinned and pointed to where Sirius was trying to pull James out of the dog pile. James grinned mischievously and yanked Sirius on the dog pile as well causing Sirius to squawk loudly. “I didn’t want to miss the show.”

 Lily glanced back and blushed slightly. “Did you see him talking to me?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it was talking. More like begging his ‘one and only true love’ to dance so he could have so semblance of happiness in his life before he died,” Harry said as he smirked.

Lily dropped her head. “I’m gonna kill him one of these days,” she mumbled, “Nobody would care. Hell, people would probably help me hide the body.”

Harry chuckled. “Why would you do that? You have a boy over there who would do anything for you. I’m sure that would come in handy sometimes.”

Lily glared at him. “A truly Slytherin answer,” she sighed, “Sometimes he’s more trouble than he’s worth.”

She glanced longingly up the stairs, and Harry decided to take pity on her. He nodded to the stairs. “Go to bed. Gwen’s already up there with Marlene.”

Lily smiled at him relieved as she mumbled her goodbyes and practically bolted up the steps. 

Harry shook his head and headed up to his own dorm room. He looked around the room. It almost felt as if he was intruding on something that wasn’t his. The room was well lived in and clearly the boys’ sanctuary. Harry could clearly tell which bed belonged to which Marauder. James’ bed was on the left side of the door. Somehow, it already looked as if he had slept in it; the bed was completely unmade. Although James’ bed was completely unmade, his trunk was in order. It was tucked neatly beside his bed, nothing out of place. Harry reached out with his magic trying to sense if it had any kind of locking spell on it. Harry smirked as he felt the shock to his magic. The charms were powerful and would keep out most powerful wizards, but wouldn’t be able to keep him out. He had been Mad-eye’s favorite student for a reason. Maybe Harry had gotten his paranoia from his father.

The bed beside his father’s was obviously Sirius’. Clothes were strung all over the bed, most of them were different band t-shirts. Harry glanced at his trunk. He could practically feel the magic radiating from it even without using his magic. Harry raised an eyebrow at it. The trunk was practically saturated in black magic which was odd considering that Sirius had been adamant on only using light magic when Harry had known him. Kind of hypocritical of him to be using black magic now...unless he didn’t know the trunk was radiating black magic. Harry looked at it closely. It was old, probably a family heirloom. When Kreacher had been retrieving the Black family heirlooms, Harry had come to realize that all most everything the family had was usually saturated in dark or black magic. Maybe Sirius couldn’t tell it was dark because he grew up around it.

Harry stood and walked over to the next bed. It was obviously his. It was the only one out of the five beds that didn’t have any kind of personal effects. Harry grinned. It was as if Hogwarts knew what he needed. He had been worried his bed would be closest to the door, but here it was the bed at the opposite end of the room. Harry had become particularly paranoid because of the war, but this helped him not attack anybody who suddenly entered the room. Harry pulled out his trunk from his pocket and resized it before pushing it under the bed. Harry reached forward and touched his bed, casting every protection spell he knew. The Death Eaters and Order combined wouldn’t be able to get into it after he was finished.

Harry stepped back and went on to the next bed. It was obviously Remus’. While the rest of his dorm mates had a messy streak, Remus was neat. Everything had its’ place. His bed was perfectly made. His school books were stacked neatly on the nightstand, but there was one book that was sitting precariously on the edge. Harry picked it up and laughed when he saw the title.  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _ . Harry shook his head and placed the book back where he got it from before walking over to the next bed.

Peter’s area was a mess. He had dumped his school books and supplies in a pile on his bed. Various candy wrappers were scattered throughout the mess on his bed. He had left his trunk wide open with no protection charms in place at all. It looked like Peter had been looking for something because clothes were scattered around the trunk.

Harry paused. This was the perfect opportunity to tell whether or not Peter had already traded sides. Harry carefully knelt down beside the open trunk, being careful not to disturb anything. 

Kali began to stir for the first that night. “Any suggestions, Kali?”

Kali sniffed at the air before squawking. She flew from his shoulder and landed in the trunk. Slowly and carefully, the duo began to search the trunk making sure to remember exactly where they found everything. After they physically found nothing, Harry searched the trunk with his magic. Something felt… off. It didn’t feel like there was magic hiding anything. In fact, it felt like the trunk hadn’t been touched by magic at all. “Surely, Pettigrew didn’t do it the muggle way,” Harry mumbled.

Harry carefully began to knock on the sides of the trunk. As he suspected, the bottom sounded different. Harry grinned.“You sneaky bastard.”

He ran his fingers across the bottom until they caught a small niche in the wood. Harry pulled out the fake bottom and looked at the secret compartment. It was half filled with various potions and the other half was filled with wrapped packages. Harry held up one of the bottles. It was a murky green color that reminded Harry of the swamps the twin had created during the Reign of Umbridge. He was really wishing he had paid more attention in potion’s class. “Do you know what this is, Kali?”   

Suddenly, Kali’s head snapped towards the door, and she growled. Harry hurriedly began to put everything where he founded, just barely putting everything away and taking a few steps back before the door opened. Loud shouts entered the room as a group of boys fell through the door. The guys were laughing until Peter nudged James and pointed to the stranger in the room. Then everything became silent. 

James' eyes narrowed. “Who are you, and what are you doing in our room?”

Harry tensed and rubbed his hand through his hair. “I’m Hadrian. I’ll be your new dorm mate?” Harry said uneasily. 

  Their faces darkened. Sirius stepped forward. “Why are you in our dorm?”

Harry smiled uneasily. “Well, I’m in my seventh year. And this is the only seventh year Gryffindor dorm, so here I am.”

Remus eyed Harry carefully, glancing between Harry and Peter’s bed. “Why were you looking at our stuff?”

Sirius and James snapped their heads to look at Harry. Peter started fidgeting nervously, glancing at his trunk. Harry had to suppress a wince. He knew he hadn’t gotten far enough away from Remus’ and Peter’s bed. Now it looked really suspicious especially with him being Lord Slytherin. 

“I wasn’t looking through your stuff. I was just getting ready for bed.”

Remus looked at him carefully. “Where are your pajamas?”

Harry tried to suppress a growl of frustration. Remus was too smart for his own good sometimes. “I just came in! I was tired of the party.”

Remus backed off, seeming to sense Harry was not in the mood to be tested with. Remus nodded and headed to his own bed, Peter following his lead. Sirius stepped forward in order to start the interrogation again, but James put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Sirius glared at Harry before heading to his own bed.

Harry sighed and began to get ready for bed. This was just great. Exactly how he wanted to meet the marauders for the first time. Note the sarcasm. Harry sighed as drew the curtains around his bed and curled up in a ball. Soft murmurings filled the room. Kali quietly crawled and nudged his nose. Harry slowly began to pet her. “Don’t worry, Kali. Maybe things will better in the morning,” Harry lied to Kali. Things were probably going to get worse before they got better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Let me know in the comments below! So the Marauders didn't react to well to Harry being their new dorm mate. Harry should have seen this coming. And what's going on with Peter? Has he already gone to the dark side? If so what were the potions/packages for? And who was the Hufflepuff Alice was dancing with? So many questions that will be answered in the next few chapters! Hoped you guys liked the chapter!


	10. Talks of Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school for Harry!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait everybody! School is kicking my ass. To make up for it this chapter is longer than usual! Hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to comment! Tell me what you think!

Harry groaned as he woke up the next morning. It was still dark outside. The sun wasn’t even close to rising yet, in fact, Harry could still see the moon brightly shining through one of the windows in the room. Although Harry had always been an early riser, he had to get up even earlier than normal in order to take a shower and get dressed before the Marauders. Not to mention he didn't know what time they normally woke up, so he had to get up extra, extra early. It would be just his luck for Remus to be up and about at four in the morning.

Harry began to sit up when he noticed a slight weight on his chest. Kali was curled up in a ball, purring slightly as she slept peacefully. Harry glared at the sleeping dragon before a mischievous smirk spread across his face. He watched her, making sure she wasn't about to wake up before snapping upright into a sitting position, sending Kali flying through the air. Kali squawked loudly and tried to fly, but her sleep addled mind only allowed her to haphazardly flap her wings until she landed in a heap at the foot of the bed. Harry fell back onto his bed laughing. Very rarely was Harry able to prank or trick Kali in any way. She had been around for a long time (Harry still hadn’t found out the exact date she had been created or born) and had to deal with two of the most powerful wizards of all time. Harry liked to think they played as many pranks as they could on her as well.

Slowly Harry calmed down, and his laughs became quiet chuckles as he sat up again. “I’m sorry, Kali, but I just had to do it. I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that...Kali?” Harry looked down at the foot of the bed. The silver dragon wasn’t on the bed at all. The blankets were rumpled where she had landed but Kali was not there. He listened carefully, hoping he would be able to hear her moving, but all he could hear was the quiet, steady breathing of the Marauders sleeping around him. “Kali?” Harry called again.

A flicker of movement from above him caught his eye a second before something violently attacked his face. A startled yelp escaped him as he fell backwards trying to escape the cold talons scratching at his face. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have woken you up!” Harry shouted as he protected his face with his arms. Good thing he had put a silencing charm around his bed, or he would have to explain a very awkward situation. Eventually, the attack ended and Harry became brave enough to peek out at Kali through the gap between his arms. Kali looked like she was ready to pounce with the way she was crouched low, her teeth barred, and low growls emitting from her every once in awhile.

Harry took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about to do. “I shouldn’t have woke you up,” Harry admitted before a smirk spread across his face again, “You obviously need your beauty sleep. Do you always look this dull in the mornings?”

Kali launched herself at Harry again with a roar that sounded too much like the roars he heard from the Hungarian Horntail in his fourth year. Harry quickly covered his face again in hopes of protecting it from most of the scratches Kali was sure to give him. Maybe he shouldn’t have insulted her looks. Alright, he knew he shouldn’t have, but it had been too tempting to pass up.

After several minutes of Kali clawing at his arms and growling, she finally calmed down again and crawled up as close as she could to his face and laid down. Harry tensed, waiting for her to attack again. When she didn’t Harry carefully lifted her arms. Harry almost jumped back when he saw how close she was to him. Kali was almost nose to nose with him, the emerald chips of her eyes staring into his. “I am sorry,” Harry said truthfully, “Are we good now? Since you’ve, you know, almost tore me to shreds.”

Kali stared blankly into his eyes before snapping forward and biting his nose. With a yowl, Harry jumped back trying to throw her off. Harry yelped as her grip on his nose grew tighter unexpectedly, causing him to jerk. Unfortunately, he was too close to the edge of the bed, and he tumbled to the floor with a loud thump.

Harry and Kali froze. Carefully, they looked around the room, checking to see if any of the boys had woken up. They didn’t move; they hardly even breathed. Well, actually, Kali didn’t breath at all considering she was made entirely out of silver. 

Harry chuckled quietly when he noticed that the boys hadn’t so much as twitched in their sleep. Either they were all heavy sleepers, or they all had a  _ little  _ too much to drink last night. 

Harry glared down his nose at Kali until she slowly let go of his nose, looking chastened. “Are we good now?” Harry whispered. Kali hesitantly nodded before glaring at him again. Harry rolled his eyes as he scooped her up and put her back on the bed. 

“Go back to sleep. I’ll come get you before I leave for breakfast.”

Kali nodded and curled up into a ball again. Soft purrs entered the room as she fell asleep almost instantly. Harry shook his head and carefully gathered his clothes before heading to the bathroom. Harry made sure all the Marauders were all still asleep before carefully closing the bathroom door, and casting every silencing and locking charm he knew. It would not be good for one of the Marauders to walk in on him showering and see all of his scars.

Harry had accumulated many scars over the years. Ever since his parents died when he was one, Harry had not gone a year without obtaining several scars. He was covered with them, and Harry knew he was going to have trouble hiding the scars from the Marauders. Harry could easily cover the scars he had gotten from the Dursleys with a simple glamor, but Harry couldn’t hide the scars he had gotten throughout his years at Hogwarts so easily. Most of the injuries Harry had received since he was eleven had been caused by magic, specifically dark magic. Dark magic had a way of marking the intended victim. It never left, even after the wounds healed, and overpowered any kind of glamour or cloaking spell cast on it since the dark magic had bound itself into the blood of the victim. 

In his old time, Harry had been able to bare his scars openly since everybody knew about the war. In fact, some people had even begged him to show them his scars since they were a ‘symbol of his heroic deeds’. In this time, his scars would only bring suspicion or concern. Harry didn't know which was worse.

Harry mindlessly went through his morning routine, listening for any sounds from the sleeping Marauders in the other room. He quietly slipped back to his bed and began to pack the books he would need for his classes, silently casting a feather-light charm as he did with barely a twitch of his fingers. Harry opened his bed curtains and gently picked Kali up and placed her around his neck. Wincing as she growled at him again, and dug her claws into his neck, he whispered to her in hopes of placating her, “Come on, girl. Surely you don’t want to miss the first day of classes? If you don’t, tell me now so I don’t have to put up with an annoying dragon for the entire day.” 

Kali growled again, before reaching up and nipping his ear sharply. She continues to grumble as she curled around his neck tighter than normal. Harry tried to pry her tail away from his neck. “I thought you had to protect me from harm? Keep this up, and I’ll be dead before I reach the common room.”

Kali continued to growl but loosened her grip on his neck as Harry silently left the Gryffindor Tower. Harry grinned. Free at last. Now he could finally explore his old home without having to live up to any expectation or having to deal with people. Harry needed to see how much the war was affecting Hogwarts. He needed to see if it was as bad as his time.

Slowly but surely during Harry’s time at the school, the war destroyed Hogwarts. Not just physically but emotionally. Every year Hogwarts crumbled more and more until there was almost nothing left at the end of the war. The war had brought everything and everyone down. Each attack weakened the schools ward’s and spirits. Every fight added new scars to the walls of the castle and to people’s hearts.

Harry gazed at the many moving staircases. “Where should we go first, Kali?”

Kali murmured something before stretching like a cat and standing precariously on his shoulders. Harry grinned. “Race ya to the dungeons!”

Harry took off running, jumping from staircases as Kali flew ahead of him. Although the war had wounded everyone, maybe it wasn’t as bad in this time. At least, that’s what Harry liked to think.

* * *

Harry finally made his way to the Great Hall several hours later, bright eyed and rosy cheeked.  He had spent the last several hours racing Kali through the halls and dodging the occasional teacher or student. He had been right; the war wasn’t affecting the castle as much as it had in his time. It was still there, though, lurking in the corners of everybody’s minds.

Harry made his way into the Great Hall before looking around in surprise. The hall wasn’t even half full. He knew it was still early, but he had expected more people to be out and about. It seemed like the only ones in the Great Hall were the Ravenclaws and Slytherins, and even their tables were only about half full and the students seated there looked dead on their feet. There were only a few people at the Gryffindor table, and they were all trying to finish some last minute summer homework. Harry sat down at the nearly empty table and started to butter a piece of toast. He never was very hungry nowadays.

“Hadrian! What are you doing up so early?” 

Harry turned and looked at the girl who had addressed him. Lily was dragging Marlene and Alice behind here with Gwen trailing slightly after them. Marlene looked as if she was barely standing, with her eyes lowered to the floor and staggering slightly. Alice didn’t look much better. She had dark circles under her eyes, but she wasn’t stumbling after Lily like Marlene.

Suddenly, Lily froze, her face a mask of concern. “Merlin, Hadrian! What happened to you?!?”

Harry stared at her blankly. The group of girls, who had been startled out of their hangovers, quickly ran over to him asking question after question as they looked him over.

“Did you get attacked?!”

“Was it the Slytherins? I swear I’m gonna kick their asses one day!”

“Are you alright, Hadrian? Why haven’t you seen the nurse?”

“Was it the Marauders? That damn Potter saw me talking to you last night, didn’t he? He is such a bully; I can’t stand him.”

The loud, outraged questions continued to overlap, drawing the attention of a few of the teachers in the hall. Professor McGonagall regally stood up and strode over to them. “What seems to be the problem here?”

 All the girls started talking at once again.

“Just look at Hadrian! Somebody attacked him!”

“It was those Marauders-”

“Hadrian needs to go to the hospital wing!”

“Those slimy snakes-”

“Enough!” McGonagall shouted before turning to Harry. “This seems to revolve around you, Mr Emrys-Slytherin. Would you care to explain how you became injured and why you haven’t gone to the hospital wing already?”

Harry looked at her confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Emrys-Slytherin,” McGonagall said looking slightly surprised, “You’re covered in rather deep scratches. Did you not notice them?”

Harry turned a deep shade of red. Damn that dragon and his own forgetful mind. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten to heal the scratches Kali left or at least hidden them under a glamour. That was so  _ incredibly _ stupid of him.

“You don’t have to lie for anyone, Hadrian,” Lily said worriedly, “You can tell us if someone did this to you.”

Harry turned and even darker shade of red before stuttering out, “No. No, I wasn’t attacked. Well, technically I was, but-”

Gwen gasped and edged closer to him as if she wanted to give him a hug.

“No! That’s not what I meant! I meant that my…” Harry trailed off as he glanced down at Kali curled up on his wrist, “I meant I was attacked by my owl. Not that somebody attacked me.”

McGonagall looked down at him suspiciously. “And why haven’t you seen the nurse?”

“Well,” Harry chuckled nervously, “I didn’t really know where the hospital wing was since I’m new, and by the time I got down here, I completely forgot about the scratches.”

“They look like they hurt. How could you forget them?” Alice said, looking him over carefully.

Harry shrugged carelessly before giving a cocky smirk. “Pain? What pain? I feel nothing at all.”

The group seemed to relax, the tension slowly ebbing out of the girls. Lily rolled her eyes before shoving Harry playfully. “Careful, Emrys, you might become as cocky as Potter if you keep it up.”

“Talking about me, Lily-pad?” 

Lily froze before groaning and turning to face the direction the voice came from. “Don’t call me Lily-pad, Potter, or I might think of an even worse nickname for you,” Lily paused before smirking, “I’m surprised to see up this morning, considering last night you were practically begging for-”

“A beautiful girl to go out with me?” James cut in quickly, casting a glance at McGonagall. Harry wondered if Lily would really rat them out about the party. Surely his mother hadn’t been like Hermione in her first year at school, always following the rules and tattling on others. Although McGonagall could overlook some things her Gryffindors did, Harry doubted she would be willing to overlook a party that involved copious amounts of firewhiskey and staying up past one in the morning.

“I was going to say ‘my help with your summer homework’ but, sure, that works too,” Lily said as she smiled innocently.

McGonagall coughed to get their attention before she began to speak. “Since I am already here I’ll hand you your timetables,” she glared at the Marauders as she passed out the slips of papers, “And do  _ try _ to be on time to your classes. I would hate to be forced to take you off the Quidditch team because of something as silly as a few tardies.”

James and Sirius snapped up straight and gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

McGonagall eyed them carefully before turning and looking at Harry kindly. “Don’t forget to go to the hospital wing. I’m sure one of these lovely girls would be willing to take you there.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll go right after breakfast.” Harry said as she walked back to the teachers’ table.

The Marauders began to sit down by the girls which, unfortunately, left Harry right in the middle. This was not going to end well.

“Why do you need to go to the hospital wing, Emrys?” Remus asked curiously.

Harry sighed and turned to face the Marauder’s for the first time that day. The group looked at him in mild shock before Sirius burst out laughing.

“Damn, Emrys! What did you do? Get caught in a cat fight?”

Gwen shifted closer to Harry as the rest of the girls glared at Sirius. Alice looked at him and snorted. “None of your business, Black. For all you know, girls could have been fighting  _ over  _ him. I mean, have you  _ seen  _ Hadrian?” Alice said as she looked Harry up and down appreciatively, “When was the last time girls fought over you, Black?”

Sirius spluttered indignantly before James came to his aid. “Probably around the same time you last got laid.” Harry saw Remus wince out of the corner of his eye. Harry felt the exact same way. Lily wasn’t going to like that.

Alice looked at them coolly before raising her hand and wiggling her ring finger at them, showing off a delicately made birthstone ring. “Virgo, honey. Sign of the virgins.”

The boys choked on their food, their faces turning a bright red color. Alice looked at Sirius in fake concern. She batted her eyes and pouted her lips slightly. “Does that mean Sirius has never gotten laid? If girls aren’t willing to fight for him, then surely they’re not willing to fuck him.”

Lily gasped, scandalized, before kicking Alice under the table rather hard considering the wince she gave. “Alice! You can’t talk like that! For Merlin’s sake, I’m Head Girl! I’ve given detentions to kids who have said less!”

Alice rolled her eyes. “Really? That’s the only problem you have with this situation? Not the fact that I’m cursing but the fact that I’m doing it around you?”

“I’ve come to accept the fact that I’ll never be able to get you to stop cursing,” Lily sighed, “I just try to stop you from doing it in front of the wrong people.” Lily glared at the surrounding Marauders.

James raised his hands up innocently. “Don’t censor people on my account, Lils. We both know I don’t have the cleanest language.”

“Not like you ever try to, anyway,” Lily snapped back at him.

James shrugged. “I’ve got a reputation to maintain,” James winked at her, “The girls love a bad boy.”

“No wonder I can’t stand you! Everybody knows that bad boys are idiots,” Lily mocked. “How you ever became Head Boy, I don’t know.”

Harry leaned over slightly to Gwen as the two continued to bicker and whispered, “Are they always like this?”

Gwen snorted. “Usually, they’re worse!”

Marlene moaned from the other side of the table as she carefully laid her head on the table, ignoring the plates of food. “Can’t they just  _ shut up _ ! My head hurts enough without them yelling.”

Alice looked at Marlene unsympathetically. “Well, that’s your own fault. I can’t believe you actually drank that whole bottle of firewhiskey. Not to mention the Marauders gave it to you. Don’t you know by now, never trust a gift from them?”

“I thought they were being nice, and by the time they gave it to me, I was already drunk,” Marlene moaned.

“We were being nice, Lena! We were being  _ extremely _ nice! After all, that was the first batch of whiskey we ever made!” Sirius called from down the table.

Marlene looked up in horror. “Oh Merlin, I’m gonna die! Who knows what they put in it.”

“Stop being such a drama queen. I was drinking last night and you don’t see me whining and crying about it.”

Marlene glared at Alice. “That’s only because  _ you _ were only drinking a bottle of tequila, not a full bottle of firewhiskey. Not to mention, you were sharing it with Longbottom! And what the hell was he doing there last night anyway? He’s a  _ Hufflepuff _ ! ”

“He’s dreamy,” Alice said as she spread strawberry jam on her croissant, “And he’s nice and handsome and a whole hell of a lot better than most guys in our year!” Alice ignored the shouts of protests from the Marauders, “Not to mention he actually likes me, and I like him!”

“Still a Hufflepuff,” Marlene grumbled.

“What do you have against Hufflepuffs?” Gwen asked curiously.

Marlene’s face darkened. “They’re assholes.”

The group scoffed at her. “They’re in the house of the loyal and hardworking,” Lily said incredulously, before she paused for a second, “Wait… Does this have to with that creep, McLaggen?”

Harry started slightly. There was only one McLaggen he knew, and he sincerely hoped that this McLaggen wasn’t related to the one Harry knew. Harry watched as everybody’s faces darkened before leaning over to Gwen again. “What’s she talking about?”

“McLaggen’s a Hufflepuff Marlene dated last year. She broke up with him after she walked in on him and the Ari twins, you know,  _ together _ ,” Gwen stuttered when she got to the end but went on, “Turns out he was,  _ you know _ , with seven different girls. There were even rumours going around that he slept with one of the Ravenclaw guys.”

Gwen paused before saying hesitantly, “It hurt her really bad. She was so embarrassed about the whole thing and people kept asking about the rumors. It damaged her reputation pretty bad.”

Marlene scowled from across the table. “ _ No _ . It isn’t about Longbottom being a Hufflepuff,” she paused as everybody stared at her disbelievingly, “Maybe a little,” she finally conceded.

“He’s not a bad guy,” Alice tried to convince her, “He’s not even friends with McLaggen! Actually, he broke McLaggen’s nose last year.”

Marlene perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah, he did,” Lily piped in, “He caught McLaggen bullying one of the younger Hufflepuffs and lost it. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about that.”

James looked at Lily uncertainly before he started talking. “Frank’s a good guy. He usually sticks up for the younger years. I’m surprised he didn’t get sorted into Gryffindor actually. I know he wants to join the Aurors like me.” Lily smiled brightly over at James. Harry had to stifle a laugh when he saw James practically glow and turn to Sirius excitedly after Lily started talking to Marlene again. 

“Now come on,” Lily said as she got up from the table, “Let’s go to the hospital wing. We’ll get you a migraine potion and get Hadrian healed before class.”

Harry had to hide a wince. He really didn’t want to be reacquainted to Poppy so early in his stay here. He had seen her so many times in his own time that she had become rather overprotective of him. Harry didn’t want that starting up again. The Marauder’s began to snicker before Lily silenced them with a glare. On second thought, maybe it was better to leave with the girls rather than stay here with his father’s friends and have to deal with them messing with him.

Harry allowed himself to be dragged out of the Great Hall all the way to the hospital wing. Lily and Alice chatted happily in front of him as they walked, Marlene and Gwen slowly treading behind them, not talking much. Gwen slowed her pace until she was walking beside Harry. “I thought you said it was nerves?”

“What?” Harry asked, confused.

“Last night. You said it was nerves. That’s why you weren’t eating, but you didn’t eat this morning.”

“I just wasn’t hungry this morning,” Harry said hesitantly.

“That’s not healthy, Hadrian. You only had a piece of toast this morning and a few bites of dinner last night. Plus, I know you couldn’t have eaten much yesterday. We were on the train all day, and they only sell candy.” Gwen watched him worriedly.

“I ate yesterday!” Harry claimed, “And I’ll eat today. I’m just nervous; that’s all. Once I get used to this place I’ll start eating more.”

Gwen tried to decide if he was lying or not before sighing. “Okay. I promise I won’t nag you anymore, but please try to eat more. You’re already skinny enough as it is.” Gwen said with a smile, trying to soften her previous statements.

Harry grinned and held his hand. “Pinky promise.” 

Gwen laughed and wrapped her pinky around his. “Pinky promise.”

Before they knew it, they had made it to the hospital wing. Lily paused outside the room, her hand on the door handle. “I just thought you should know,” she started off uncertainly, “Madam Pomfrey can be a little… overprotective of her patients.” 

Harry nodded. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He had been on the receiving end of Poppy’s overprotective nature several times. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be as bad this time since he only had a few scratches and not any of the life-threatening injuries Harry usually sported when he came to this wing of the castle.

Lily opened the door and called out quietly for Madam Pomfrey ignoring how Marlene flinched at the noise. The nurse came bustling out of the back room. She looked a lot younger than Harry remembered her to be. There were no lines on her face, her hair didn’t have any gray in it, and her eyes didn’t have the same sad but determined look in them in this time. The war must have really done a number on her.

“What? An injury so early in the year? Merlin, you just got off the train yesterday, surely you couldn’t have gotten hurt so soon?”

Marlene smiled sheepishly. “I’m not hurt ma’am,” she stated hesitantly, “I just have a really,  _ really _ bad migraine.”

Madame Pomfrey narrowed her eyes and looked Marlene up and down before retreating to the potions cabinet and snatching a potion. She stomped back to the girl and thrust it at her. “Here’s a hangover potion. Be sure that this does not become a habit.”

Marlene spluttered slightly, trying to deny the fact that she had a hangover, but Madame Pomfrey silenced her. “Please, do you honestly think I wouldn’t know? You’re a Gryffindor; I know all about your parties and what you do at them,” Pomfrey smiled slightly, “After all, I was a Gryffindor myself at one time, long ago.”

She turned to Harry. “And what may I ask happened to you?”

Harry smiled sheepishly before muttering his excuse, “I got attacked by my owl.”

Pomfrey tutted slightly as she looked him over. And why didn’t you come to me early? These scratches look hours old, but I could have healed them in an instant.”

“I’m new here, and I didn’t know where the hospital wing was,” Harry said as he rubbed the back of his neck.      

Pomfrey hummed quietly before waving her wand and healing the scratches. “I knew I didn’t recognize you. What’s your name?”

“My name’s Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin. You may have heard of me.” 

Pomfrey looked him over carefully, her eyes lingering on his tie. “A Gryffindor? That must have come as a shock to you last night.”

“No, actually. Not really.” Harry said with a small smile.

“Yes, I suppose you already know who you are even before the hat sorts you,” Pomfrey said with a small smile, “Now, off you go. I’ll probably be having more patients soon, with it being the first day of school. Everyone’s always reckless the first day back. And you don’t want to be late to your classes.”

Pomfrey quickly shooed them out the door and before they knew it, they were standing outside the closed door once more. Lily looked at her watch before gasping. “She was right! It’s almost nine! What classes do you guys have?”

Everyone blinked in shock before they pulled out the forgotten timetables from their bags. “I have Arithmancy,” Harry said, “Does anyone else?”

Lily wrinkled her nose as she shook head. “I don’t. Couldn’t stand the class. Too much math for me. I have Herbology first hour.”

Alice and Marlene smiled brightly at Lily as they proclaimed they had Herbology as well. Gwen quietly made her way over to Harry. “Don’t worry. I have Arithmancy too. You won’t be there alone.”

Harry blushed slightly. “That’s not what I meant! I just curious!”

“Well, I know if I was in a completely new school, I wouldn’t want to be separated from the few people I knew.”

Harry smiled at her. She truly was a kind person. He couldn’t help but wonder what happened to her after the war. She wasn’t part of the Order in his fifth year, and neither Sirius nor Remus had mentioned her as being one of Lily’s friends. Harry hoped nothing bad had happened to her during the war.

“Come on. Let’s go, guys. We’ll never make it to our next class if we don’t leave now,” Lily said as she looked at her watch again. Everybody quickly said their goodbyes before the split off, Lily, Marlene, and Alice headed for the Herbology greenhouses while Harry and Gwen ran to the Arithmancy classroom.

  “Come on! Arithmancy is this way!” Gwen called as she started running to the opposite side of the castle. They ran through the corridors, dodging other late students or lost first years. They barely ran through the door before the door rang. Snickers rang out around the room as Gwen and Harry stopped to catch their breaths. Harry looked around. The room had very few students, only about fourteen students counting Harry and Gwen. He didn’t recognize many students. About half of them were Ravenclaws and the others were a mixture of the other houses. Remus looked slightly uncomfortable since he was seated towards the front with two overly friendly Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaws sat in a large group, quietly going over the syllabus for the class. Three Slytherins sat silently in the back of the room. Harry did a double take when he noticed Regulus sitting on the edge of the group, but Harry quickly averted his eyes when Regulus sent a chilling glare at him. What was Regulus doing here? This was an Advanced Arithmancy class; only seventh years could take it. Gwen pulled him over to the last two seats, ignoring how quiet he had become.

The door connecting to the teacher’s office suddenly snapped open, banging against to stone wall. The teacher stomped out and threw her papers on her desk. She was short and rather chubby with long messy brown hair. But what caught everybody’s attention was her don’t-mess-with-me-attitude.

“Alright, you little creeps, let’s get things straight. I only take the best of the best in this class; that’s why you’re all here,” Harry raised an eyebrow at that. That must mean Regulus was either extremely smart, or he bribed his way into the class. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll stay. If you screw around in this class or act like you’re smarter than me, you will be kicked out of this class faster than you can say ‘Please, Professor Vector!” Got it?”

The class silently nodded their heads. “Another thing. I expect you try to do your absolute best in this class. That means if you don’t do well in this class, you better find yourself a tutor because I don’t have time to teach you outside of class.”

The Ravenclaws were furiously taking notes while the Hufflepuffs just looked plain scared. Remus looked nervous but was masking it well, and the Slytherins had the same blank look on their faces but Harry could tell they were slightly worried. Arithmancy was known as an extremely hard class, and it seemed like this professor wasn’t going to be overly helpful.

“Plus I made up a seating chart,” everybody groaned, “What did you say?” The class immediately quieted. “That’s what I thought. Now you’re gonna live with this. I don’t care if the person you’re seated with is your mortal enemy; you’re gonna sit together and you’re gonna like it unless you want to be kicked out.”

The students began to gather up their books as she started calling out names and where they were seated. Harry started when she called his name. “Emrys-Slytherin, Hadrian and Black, Regulus. You’ll be seated in that back desk over there,” she said, waving vaguely at a desk. Harry winced slightly as Regulus glared at him and threw his books on the desk. Gwen gave him a reassuring smile before walking off to the Ravenclaw she was paired with. Harry walked over to the desk, ignoring how Regulus refused to look at him. 

“Why haven’t you gotten out your books yet?” Professor Vector asked sharply. The class scrambled to get out their books. “Turn to page seventy-five. I expect you to read the chapter and start on the practical assignment I’ve made for you.”

The class paused uncertainly. It seemed like she was going to throw them into the deep end with no help at all. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she barked, “Get started!”

* * *

An hour later Harry stumbled out of the classroom. That had been the hardest class Harry had ever been to, and that list included every class Snape ever taught and Moody’s lessons in defense. It had been exhausting; the teacher had been telling the truth when she said she expected the best from them. The only problem was Regulus wasn’t willing to work with him on the project. He had gone as far as to refuse to even look at Harry not to mention talk to him. His class was going to be hell.

Gwen stumbled out with her Ravenclaw partner before making her way slowly to him. “Why… Why did I pick this class?” 

Harry chuckled. “I’m asking myself the same question.

“My brain hurts. It’s literally throbbing against my skull. Maybe our next class will be easier.”

“You go ahead,” Harry said gesturing to the hallway, “I need to stay for a second.”

Gwen immediately looked concerned. “Is everything okay? You’re not quitting, are you? I know it was hard, but she probably does this to get rid of the weak students.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I’m not quitting. I just need to talk with my partner.”

Gwen still looked hesitant to leave. “I can stay if you want.”

“Nah, go on ahead. I’ll meet you later.”

Harry watched as Gwen slowly walked away, turning back to look at him every few steps until Regulus finally stepped out of the classroom with the other two Slytherins. “I need to talk to you.”

Regulus looked at him warily before nodding to the Slytherins, signalling them to go on without him. “What do you want Emrys?” 

Harry winced at the stiff tone. “Why won’t you talk to me? You ignored me during class.”

“I was focusing on our work,” Regulus said, his face completely blank of any emotion.

“No, you weren’t. You didn’t even turn the pages of your book once during the entire lesson.”

“I read it before class.”

“Why won’t you talk to me! You were perfectly fine with me yesterday!”

Regulus snarled at him. Harry stepped back unconsciously. At this moment, Regulus remind him a lot of when Sirius first escaped from Azkaban and confronted Wormtail. He had the same furious glint in his eyes. “Yesterday you weren’t a  _ Gryffindor _ ! Yesterday you were somebody that actually stood a chance in this fucking school! You had so many possibilities! You could have been someone! And then you were sorted into Gryffindor and threw it all away. Do you have any idea what you’ve done!?!”

“You can’t choose where you’re sorted,” Harry stated quietly.

Regulus snorted. “That’s fucking bullshit, and you know it! The hat takes your opinion into account. It would have listened to you if you asked to go into Slytherin.”

“What happened to still being friends with me even if I was a Hufflepuff?” Harry demanded.

“That was Lucius who claimed he would still be friends with you in Hufflepuff,” Regulus sneered, “I said no such thing. And even he won’t come near you with a ten-foot pole now. You’re too sullied for even his tastes.”

“What’s wrong with Gryffindor? I know there’s a slight rivalry between the houses but surely that can’t stop us from being friends?”

Regulus laughed harshly. “ _ House rivalries _ ? That’s what you think this is about? You truly are a Gryffindor if you’re that stupid. This has nothing to do with school houses. This has to do with you picking a side. You could have been great! But you had to go and pick the  _ wrong side _ ! Now, you’re nothing. You’re a reckless,  _ brainless sheep _ like the rest of them, and you’re going to wind up dead because of it!”

Regulus turned and stormed down the hallway. “I’m not a sheep,” Harry called after him.

Regulus paused but didn’t turn around. “Keep telling yourself that.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good, Bad, Terrible? Let me know in the comments below! What did you think? I'm sorry, but I love Kali. She may be my favorite character in this story. And yes, Marlene may hate Hufflepuffs, oops. Sorry if it seems like I'm hating on Hufflepuffs, everybody! I love them; I really do! I actually think they could conquer the world if they actually tried. What did you think of Regulus? He's not taking Harry's sorting very well at all... Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	11. Depression Leads to Crying Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's DADA class doesn't end so well, but it leads to Harry meeting someone special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I just wanted to tell you a few things. First of all, I would like to say I'm so, so, SO sorry for not updating in so long! School was absolutely insane. I had to put everything on hold because of finals! And when I mean everything, I mean EVERYTHING including my social life. Anywho...I'm sorry for the long wait, and I hope you like this next chapter! It has more action in it and as penance, I made the chapter extra long! Hope you like it! Don't forget to tell me what you think!

Three days had passed since the argument with Regulus and not much had changed. The Marauders still hated him for intruding into their space and most of the other Gryffindors followed their lead except for Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Gwen. Nobody else would come near him. Even the teachers seemed wary of him. He was far too smart for their liking. Harry had been forced to dumb down his assignments because everything they were teaching seemed extremely easy to him even though the rest of the seventh year students were having trouble. He had been forced to learn so much during the war that everything being taught now seemed dull and painstakingly easy. He wouldn’t be surprised if he could easily pass his NEWTS now even without taking the classes. The only class he was having problems with was Arithmancy. He only knew the basics (mainly because he listened to Hermione go on and on about how interesting the class was. He did listen to her...on occasion.), and Regulus still refused to talk to him.

There were only two classes Harry hadn’t taken yet, and they were the ones he was worried the most about. Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. Potions was just potions. He had never liked that class, even though he had gotten significantly better at it during the war. Who knew potions would  _ actually _ turn out well if you didn’t have people throwing random things in it? Harry was worried about DADA for a completely different reason. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried about Defense, but there had been rumors spreading that Dumbledore had managed to hire an Auror that had fought against both Grindelwald and Voldemort before he had been forced to leave the force due to an injury. From the sounds of it, this professor was just as paranoid as Moody and just as crazy as Fake-Moody. Harry was going to have to be careful not to draw very much attention to himself, not to mention, monitor the spells he used. He couldn’t afford to slip up and use a gray or, Merlin forbid,  _ dark  _ spell around a retired Auror.

“What do you think will happen in Defense? I heard the professor’s a real hard ass,” Alice asked as they wound their way through the castle corridors. Defense was one of the few classes Harry had with the girls. It was also one of the classes Harry had with  _ all  _ of the Marauders which was another reason he was worried about this class.

“I don’t know,” Lily grumbled, “He changes it for every class. The first class that had him say they had mock duels all through class. The second class says they went over the theory behind the most common curses and counter-curses. The third class claim he started to teach them how to use a mass protection charm. I just can’t get a read on this guy.”

“Well, he sounds like he’s better than last years.”

Harry looked at the group curiously. “What was wrong with last years?”

Marlene snorted. “He was a total crackpot. He kept going on and on about how to let your magic ‘blossom into a beautiful flower whose light will protect you’. We all think he was on some kind of potion.”

Harry winced. Their previous professor sounded like a combination of Lockhart and Trelawney. “Well, maybe this professor will be better.”

They rounded the corner to the DADA room and stopped when they saw the large group of kids waiting outside the door. It seemed as if everyone had decided to take the class in order to protect themselves or their loved ones during this war. Harry had to hide a wince when he noticed that this class would consist mainly of Gryffindors and Slytherins. It was as if Dumbledore wanted to start a bloodbath. Who puts the two most volatile houses together for the one class they spend throwing spells back and forth? 

Bellatrix, Lucius, Rabastan, and Narcissa were standing by the door sneering at anybody who came to close to them. Severus stood towards the edge of their group, not too close as to be a part of it, but close enough to be associated with them. Gwen whimpered slightly. “This is going to be  _ horrible _ .”

Bellatrix’s eyes snapped towards Gwen. A malicious gleam entered her eyes. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Little Miss Guinevere Coulby! The naïve little Gryffindor princess! Tell me, dearie, how’s Daddy?” Bellatrix paused in mock concern and pouted “Oh that’s right. You wouldn’t know.”

Gwen gasped sharply and flinched away slightly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Alice and Lily glared at Bellatrix and stepped in front of Gwen, blocking her from view as Marlene comforted her. “You’re one to talk,” Alice snarled, “Everyone knows your daddy would have left long ago if it wasn’t your bitch of a mother.”

“Please,” Bellatrix drawled, rolling her eyes, “My mother knows how to control a man. And it’s not like my father would leave because I had  _ magic _ . Filth leaving filth. Kind of poetic, don’t you think?” Gwen stepped closer to Marlene. “Oh, are you going to cry? Is the poor baby going to cry? Somebody get her a pacifier; I don’t want to hear her whining through class.”

“I’d be happy to help,” Lucius smirked as he drew his wand and flicked it at Gwen. Her quiet protest was cut off with a choking sound as a bright pink pacifier appeared in her mouth. The Slytherins laughed as Gwen tried to pull it out, but Lucius must have put a sticking charm on it because it remained steadfastly in her mouth.

Bellatrix cocked her head. “Hmmm. It seems to be missing something.” She flicked her wand, and a large diaper appeared on the outside of Gwen’s uniform. “There, that’s better.”

Gwen turned bright red as the Slytherins roared with laughter. Lily quickly spelled the diaper away, but the pacifier wouldn’t disappear.

“Allow me, my beautiful Lily-flower,” a voice called from the back. James Potter and the rest of the Marauders pushed their way through the crowd. James extravagantly twirled his wand and Gwen’s pacifier disappeared and a beautiful white lily appeared between her lips. James plucked the flower from her mouth and bowed to Lily as he presented it to her. “A lily for my Lily.”

“You’re stooping low just for a fuck, Potter,” Rabastan called out, “Honestly, a mudblood? I guess it is true. The Potter family has sunk lower than ever,”

James froze, and everyone took a slow step away from him. He turned on his heels and slowly stalked towards the group of Slytherins like a predator circling its prey. “What did you say?”

Rabastan stepped forward until they were nose to nose. “I was just expressing my surprise that you would go as far as to fuck a mudblood bit-” he was cut off as the bell rang. Everyone froze as they waited for the professor to appear. The door to the DADA slowly swung open with a slight creak. “This isn’t over.”

Rabastan stalked into the room with the rest of the Slytherins. The Marauders shared a look before they silently raised their wands at the group's backs. With several extravagant movements that would have made the Weasley twins jealous, they hexed the group. With a loud bang, the Slytherins were thrown across the room. They landed in a moaning heap at the front of the classroom. The Gryffindors laughed as they began to filter into the room after the Marauders. Shrieks of outrage filled the room when the Slytherins realized just what the Marauders had done to them.

Rabastan had acquired some rather unfortunate features. He looked as if he was part pig. His sharp nose had been transformed into a pig’s snout. His eyes were extremely small and beady. Rabastan looked dumbly at his hands and feet which had been transformed in pig hooves. What put everybody over the edge and caused a new bout of laughter were the floppy pig ears he had acquired and the pigtail poking out of the back of his pants. He snarled at James as best he could with a pig snout and opened his mouth to curse him, but instead of words, a high pitch squeal filled the air.

Loud wailing filled the room. Dear old Bella did not like her new look. The Marauders had gotten revenge for Gwen by making Bellatrix look like a toddler. Her black curly mass of hair that she seemed to actually take care of in this time was pulled up into two uneven pigtails. Her pristine uniform was turn into a pink onesie covered in teddy bears and from the puffiness around a certain area, it was obvious that a diaper had been spelled onto her as well. Harry had to wonder where the two purebloods had ever seen a muggle onesie.   

Lucius had been turned into a classic clown, complete with the red nose and clown suit. His beautiful blonde hair had been transfigured into a Weasley red afro. With a half terrified and half furious look, Lucius slowly reached up to feel his hair.

Narcissa had gotten off lightly. Instead of the extravagant changes to her appearance like the rest of her friends, she simply looked as if she had had paint dumped over her. Several different colors of paint. She was drenched from head to toe in red, yellow, blue, and pink paint. Very carefully, she wiped the paint away from her eyes.

“You filth!” Bellatrix shrieked, evidently having gotten rid of the spell that had caused her to cry like a baby, “How dare you do this to us!”

Sirius smirked as he took a seat beside James with Peter and Remus seated behind them. “Just reminding you that station isn’t everything. After all, you’re supposed to act like a pureblood lady, but here you are, acting like the child you are.”

Bellatrix snarled as she transfigured her uniform back to normal. She glared at the rest of her friends when she saw they hadn’t gotten rid of the enchantments. “What are you waiting for!  Are you honestly so pathetic that you can’t get rid of a few spells from these pathetic blood traitors?”

Narcissa kept her face calmly blank as she quickly got rid of the paint covering her and hurriedly put Lucius back to normal. Rabastan fumbled with his wand since his hands had been transfigured into hooves. With a fire in her eyes Harry had only seen when she was dueling someone in his time, Bellatrix growled and snapped her wand at Rabastan, quickly getting rid of the pig hooves and ears, but the snout and tail stubbornly remained.

Sirius cockily leaned back in his seat and put his feet on the desk. “I guess Lestrange truly is a pig! Now the whole school will know his true nature.”

Rabastan growled and grabbed for his wand. Harry shook his head as Sirius and Rabastan began to toss spells and insults back and forth. It reminded him of the many fights he had had with Draco only crueler and more vicious. 

While they watched the ensuing duel, Harry quickly walked over to the desk that Lily was sitting at, as everyone began picking seats with their friends. He had had very little time with his mother so far, and he wasn’t going to waste any moment he may get with her. He forced himself to walk at a normal pace instead of bolting to her side like he wanted to. “Does this always happen when a large group of Slytherins meet Gryffindors?” Harry asked as he dropped down into the seat beside Lily.

Lily jumped slightly before smiling cheerfully at him. “More often than not,” she said brightly before looking at him questioningly, “I’m surprised you’re sitting with me. I would have thought you’d be sitting with Gwen since you’ve become so  _ close _ to her.” Lily grinned as she winked at him.

Harry looked at her dumbly until realization dawned on him. Harry blushed bright red before stuttering, “I-I don’t like Gwen!”

The backpedaled when he saw the affronted look on Lily’s face. “I mean, I like her, but I don’t  _ like _ her!”

“Well, why not!” Lily said defensively, “She’s an amazing girl! You couldn’t do better!”

“I-I...” Harry stuttered before he stopped. Something was wrong. His magic prickled uncomfortably just underneath his skin. He ignored his mother as she huffed in frustration and carefully looked around the room. Sirius and Rabastan were still dueling, their friends were either cheering them on or trying to separate them. The rest of the class was scattered around the room, chatting with their friends as if nothing was wrong. Nothing was out of order except… “Who closed the doors?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably the last one in.”

Harry shook his head. “No. I walked in with Gwen and Marlene. We were the last ones in.”

“Maybe somebody got up and closed it?”

“Who in their right mind would close the door on a professor?” Harry said as he stood up and walked over to the door. Harry reached for the door handle but his hand stopped inches away from it. His eyes widened. He knew this spell. Harry spun around and shouted a warning, but froze when a feeling of despair washed over him. He was too late.

The temperature in the room plummeted, and people stopped what they were doing in favor of shivering and asking their friends what was going on. The windows of the classroom frosted over, and people could see their breath. The talking slowly pattered to a stop as the hopeless feeling got worse. Harry tried the door again, but no luck. They were locked into the room.

 A chest at the front of the room that the class hadn’t noticed before began to rattle. The students watched with apprehension as the simple padlock bent with every movement until with one terrifying crack the lock snapped off. Whimpers filled the room as a bony hand grasped the edge of the chest. The Ravenclaws at the front of the room quickly scrambled back away from whatever creature that had escaped its confinement, but Harry knew it was no use. They wouldn’t be able to escape a Dementor in a locked room.

Harry quickly made his way to Lily ignoring the shrieks that filled the air when the Dementor appeared. Lily, that was his mission. He trusted James to his friends, but Lily was alone. He had to stay focused; he couldn’t succumb to the fear, not with his mother’s soul on the line. Lily was crying quietly when he finally pushed his way to her. “Come on, Lily. We have to go.”

Lily whimpered and shook her head. “She said I’m a freak. She would say I’d deserve this.”

Harry glanced up at the Dementor. A silver cuff on its bony wrist kept it chained to the chest. It would give them a few minutes, but Harry doubted it would hold long. “Petunia’s a bitch, but even she wouldn’t wish this on you. Don’t give up.”

Doubt flickered in Lily’s eyes before she nodded determinedly. A smile flickered across Harry’s face for a brief moment. “Good. Do you know the Patronus charm?”

Lily shook her head causing Harry to hold back a sigh of frustration. This was not the best place to teach the charm. Harry took a deep breath and began to explain the spell. “All you have to do is think of your happiest thought and say ‘Expecto Patronum’. But your happiest thought has to actually be your  _ happiest  _ thought. It can’t be as small as getting what you wanted for your birthday. Do you understand?”

Lily glared at him. “Ho-how can you ex-expect me to think of my hap-piest memory when I feel as i-if I can never be happy again?”

“Just try your hardest,” Harry said as he glanced back at the Dementor. It had almost broken the chain.

“Why don’t you do it yourself if you’re an expert on this?” Lily snarled. At least she was showing an emotion that wasn’t fear or sadness.

Harry tried not to flinch at her statement. “Trust me. I would if I could.”

He used to be able to cast the Patronus charm, but that was before everything went to shit. He lost everything in that goddamn war. He lost his friends, his family, and his fucking happy memories. Everything was tainted by either death or betrayal. Harry couldn’t think of the times when he, Ron, and Hermione had been the Golden Trio without thinking of how they betrayed them. He couldn’t think of his parents, Remus, or Sirius without thinking of how they died for him. That war had ruined  _ everything _ for him.

Harry jerked out of his thoughts as a loud snap filled the room. The Dementor had snapped the chain and was coming right at them. Harry quickly position his body in front of Lily, so she would have more of a chance at escaping or at least living longer. “Lily, you have to try!”

The Dementor was coming straight for them ignoring all the other students in favor of going after Harry. Lily fumbled with her wand, her numb fingers dropping it. “Hurry!”

“Ex-Expecto Patronum!” She stuttered, pointing her wand at the Dementor. Not even a wisp of silver smoke came from her wand.

“You’re gonna have to have a happier memory than that!” Harry growled through clenched teeth.

“I-I can’t! That was the happiest memory I had!”

Harry didn’t have the chance to reply before the Dementor swooped down upon him. Just like that, every motivation that had been keeping him alive for the past three years was gone. All hope, all happiness was sucked out of him.

_ ‘You deserve this _ ,’ the voice in his head whispered, ‘ _ They’re all dead because of you. If you had never been born they would all be alive. Mum, Dad, Remus, Sirius. They’d all be alive. Why are you even trying? It’s not like you can actually win. You’re up against too many people. Voldemort, Dumbledore, the Ministry. You can’t win.’ _

Harry gasped for air as the Dementor leaned in closer to his face. ‘ _ This is a gift,’ _ the voice tried to convince him, ‘ _ You won’t have to see them die all over again. You don’t have to worry about any other lives that you have to save. You don’t even have to worry about the blood on your hands.’ _

Harry flinched as the Dementor drew back his hood revealing the dried carcass of a face underneath. ‘ _ How do you think your parent would react if they found out about all the lives you took? How you turned to the dark arts? What would Sirius say if he saw what you have become? This is a mercy killing. Accept it.’  _

A single tear rolled down his cheek. The voice was right. He could never win. His parents would hate him if they ever found out about the terrible things he had done. The one last hope he had of having a family would shatter when they found out.

Suddenly, he felt something shift on his neck. Kali carefully nudged his neck before sharply digging her claws into Harry’s skin. Harry gasped as memories began to flood his mind.

James laughing as he made small versions of the Marauders’ animagi dance over his crib. _ Dad _ .

Lily rocking him to sleep while singing a lullaby.  _ Mum _ .

Sirius laughing as he and Harry successfully pranked Remus.  _ Sirius. _

Remus smiling softly as he asked Harry to be Teddy’s godfather.  _ Remus. _

Harry holding Teddy for the first time and smiling as the boy changed his hair to match Harry’s.  _ Teddy _ .

Determination filled Harry as he snapped the Elder wand out of its sheath. He would live for them. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!!”

A blinding white light filled the room as he cast the charm point blank at the Dementor. An inhuman shriek filled the air as Prongs came bursting out of the Elder wand. But he wasn’t the only one that came out of the wand. A silver doe came running out after it, followed by a shaggy dog and a snarling wolf. A hysterical giggle escaped Harry’s lips as a tiny wolf pup came bouncing out after the wolf.

 Padfoot and Prongs viciously attacked the Dementor as the doe and Moony kept the other students as far away from the fight as possible. The small wolf pup stood protectively in front of Lily who must have been pulled away from Harry sometime during the attack. James held her tightly to his chest as they watched the fight with wide, disbelieving eyes.

A snarl brought Harry’s attention back to the Dementor in time to see Padfoot leap into the ear and snap his jaws around the Dementor’s neck. The smoky dog growled and shook the creature, trying to kill the thing that had almost hurt Harry. A shriek filled the air before being cut off by an ominous snap that could have only been the creature’s neck. Padfoot shook the Dementor’s body a few more times before sitting back proudly on his haunches. With an expression that could only be described as a grin, Padfoot barked happily at Harry.

Harry chuckled slightly as he made his way to the dog and knelt in front of it. “Good job, boy,” Harry whispered as he scratched behind the dog’s ears, “I’ve missed you.”

An unhappy looked crossed over the dog’s face before a mischievous look entered his eyes, and he jumped up and licked Harry across the face. Harry shuddered at odd, cold feeling that almost reminded him off walking through a ghost. “Ugh! Padfoot, did you have to do that?!?”

A soft, cold nudge to his hand distracted him from Padfoot. The doe and the stag were standing beside him nervously pawing the ground. Harry smiled softly at the two. “It’s alright, guys. Padfoot got rid of the danger.”

 Prongs seemed to nod before nudging Harry’s cheek and disappearing. The doe seemed more reluctant to leave and looked Harry up and down as if checking for injuries. Harry laughed quietly before whispering, “It’s alright. I’m fine.”

The doe still looked hesitant but nodded anyway. She quietly walked forward and rubbed against Harry affectionately before disappearing as well.

Harry glanced over at Moony and his pup. The wolf was curled protectively around the pup, eyeing anything suspicious in the room. The little pup yipped excitedly when he noticed Harry’s attention on it. Harry scratched behind the pup’s ear before smiling at Moony. “It’s all right now. There’s no more danger for you to save me from.” The wolf eyed Harry carefully, trying to see if he was actually telling the truth. After a moment, the wolf seemed to find what he was looking for because he nodded and picked up the pup ignoring the sharp yip in protest and disappeared like his friends.

The playful growl was the only warning Harry received before Padfoot jumped on him. Evidently the dog was tired of being ignored. “What are you still doing here, you mangy mutt?!”

  Padfoot barked and sat on him ignoring how Harry tried to push him off. “Get off, you mutt! The danger’s gone! You can go now!”

The dog growled at him and surveyed the room one last time. After carefully looking over everything, he turned back to Harry with a happy grin and licked him across the face for good measure before disappearing. Harry wiped his face, trying to get rid of the weird cold feeling. “Stupid dog…”

A crash at the front of the room disturbed the silence. The door leading to the professor’s office had been blown off its hinges by a man in his late fifties judging by the gray in his hair. “Is everyone alright?” the man called out gruffly.

When nobody answered, he began to carefully check everyone, making sure that there was no physical damage to anyone. Harry ignored the professor and walked over to Lily. “Are you okay? I know you were behind me at the start of the attack, but everything after that was kind of… blurry.”

Lily nodded shakily, snuggling closer to James without realizing it. She looked close to tears. “I-I’m fine.”

Harry glared at her causing her to roll her eyes.

“Fine. I’m not fine, okay? I feel like shit, and I’m cold, and tired, and achy, and feel like I just had a panic attack. Are you happy now?” She snapped at him. James pulled her closer to him. “I think you need to leave, mate.”

Harry blinked up at him in shock. “I was just checking to make sure she was alright! Anyone who says they’re fine after a Dementor attack is either lying or not right in the head!”

“So that’s what that... _ thing _ was? A Dementor?” Lily asked, a spark of curiosity entered her dull eyes, making her look healthier.

“Wait,” Harry asked slowly, “You guys don’t know what Dementors are? That’s why you didn’t know the charm?”

Lily shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard of them. Have you?” Lily asked James tilting her head up, but only managing to look at his chin. With a blush as red as her hair, she shoved away from James’ chest a crossed her arms defensively. Clearing her throat she asked again, “Did you know anything about Dementors, James?”

James pouted, extremely put out by the fact that he wasn’t holding Lily anymore. “Only a little,” he grumbled, “All I know is what Dad’s told me which is they guard Azkaban. That’s all I know.”

“And what about you, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin? What do you know about Dementors?” a voice behind Harry said, causing him to jump. Nobody had sneaked up on him in years.

Harry turned slowly to face the professor. He reminded him of Moody only more sane. The man looked as if he had been in the military. He stood with his back ramrod straight and his eyes assessing every part of the room. His grey eyes had a certain steel in them that Harry had only seen in the most battle-hardened warriors.

“Class dismissed,” he barked at the students without breaking eye contact with Harry. Harry began to mentally reinforce his occlumency shields, “Go eat some chocolate. It’ll make you feel better.”

The class began to filter out, and Harry turned to walk over to Lily and her friends when the professor stopped him. “Emrys-Slytherin, stay here. I need to speak with you.”

The few students who hadn’t left yet, looked at Harry curiously before the professor’s glare sent them running. Harry watched as Lily and her friends paused at the door and looked hesitantly back at him. He gave them a small smile and a nod towards the door, signaling them to leave without him before turning back to the professor.

“You know my name, yet I don’t know yours,” Harry stated once the room was clear.

“Auror Jethro Gris,” the professor said stiffly, “But you may call me Professor Gris.”

Harry eyed the man curiously. If he played his cards right, he might be able to tell if Gris was connected more to the Ministry or Dumbledore. “Auror, huh? What are you doing at Hogwarts in times like these? Why aren’t you out there, fighting the good fight with Ministry?”

“I believe  _ I  _ am the one asking the questions here,” Gris said sharply. So much for that idea.

Harry smirked and spread his arms. “Well, I’m standing right here and you haven’t asked me a single question yet. I got a little impatient.”

Gris glared at him. “In all my years, I’ve never seen such a reaction to Dementors. You knew what was going to happen before it happened. How exactly  _ did _ you know?”

“Instinct,” Harry said, eyeing the professor suspiciously, “How did you see my reaction? You weren’t even in the room. You didn’t show up until after the attack.”

The Auror’s jaw tightened slightly. Harry gaped at him before exploding. “You  _ planned _ it! You bastard, do you have any idea how bad things could have gotten if I hadn’t been able to cast the Patronus charm!?! That Dementor could have sucked the soul out of any one of your students which is a fate worse than death, and where were you? Having a party in your office? What the hell were you thinking? Was it ‘Oh, let’s see how these defenseless teenagers react when I throw a Dementor into the room with them. That’ll be fun!’. What were you thinking?!?” 

“Mr. Emrys-Slytherin!” Gris barked, “Calm yourself!”

“Calm myself! Calm myself? You let a Dementor loose in a classroom full of students, and you’re telling me to calm myself?” Harry exclaimed in disbelief.

“Mr. Emrys-Slytherin, the Dementor was never supposed to escape into the classroom. It was only supposed to be a small demonstration to show the students what exactly a dementor is and the effects it could cause before we went over it in class,” Gris stated calmly.

“What  _ exactly _ made you think that was a good idea?” Harry hissed, “Why didn’t you explain what dementors are in class and then maybe,  _ maybe _ , bring in something that had the same effects as a Dementor? Wouldn’t that have been better than having it escape into a classroom full of defenseless students!”

“I wanted the students to get a feel for the creature without adult supervision. Students act differently when a teacher is watching them. Plus I needed to know who is the most advanced in the class, which is most obviously...you.”

Harry fought against the urge to start pacing. “Why the  _ hell _ didn’t you run in when the Dementor escaped its chains? And why did you charm the door closed?!”

Gris' head snapped up when Harry said that. “What do you mean the door was charmed shut?”

Harry paused from his inner rant about idiotic teachers endangering students. “Wait, so you didn’t charm the door closed?”

“No,” Gris said grimly, “If things went wrong, I would want everybody to be able to get out safely. What can you tell me about the charm?”

“Well, I said it was a charm, but it was more of a ward,” Harry said slipping back to when he used to be debriefed by the Order, “It keeps a person from getting within six inches from the object the person cast it on. It’s ca-” Harry paused. When had this spell been created? He knew Voldemort created it during the first war, but when did the Order find out about it? He couldn’t afford to slip up now. “It shocked me when I touched it too long,” Harry finished lamely.

Professor Gris went over to inspect the door. He cast a spell on it, but nothing happened. Gris huffed before turning back to Harry. “Well, from the sounds of it, the spell on this door was the same one that was cast on my door,” Harry’s head shot up, “But it’s gone now. Not even a trace left.”

“So that’s why you didn’t come in when the Dementor escaped from its chains?” Harry asked.

“It took me several minutes to get through the ward, and even when I did the door wouldn’t open. I had to blast it off.”

Harry nodded before heading towards the door. Maybe this revelation would allow him to leave without having to explain the patronuses that even he didn’t understand. “Well, this has been very informative, but I’ve got to go. Don’t want to be late to potions!”

He had just made it to to the door before the professor stopped him. “Emrys-Slytherin, you and I both know the next potions class doesn’t start until after lunch. Plus you still have some explaining to do.”

Harry stifled a growl of frustration before forcing his mask back on and turning around to face Gris. “Of course, Professor. I just wanted to read up on the subject a little before I went to class.”

“If you haven’t done that before now, you’re already screwed,” Gris narrowed his eyes, “And stop avoiding the subject.”

“Well you have yet to ask me a question, so I don’t exactly know what the subject is,” Harry snarked back.

“What happened when the Dementor attacked you? Why did it attack you? And how did you manage to kill it?”

“I would have thought an auror like you would know what a simple Patronus charm is,” Harry sassed. He really did not want to try to explain what happened to the Dementor to Gris. Harry had a theory about what may have happened, but it wasn’t something he could tell the Professor. He was supposed to be keeping his head down, not drawing attention to himself.

Gris was beginning to look frustrated. “Yes, I know what a Patronus charm is, but you’re what, seventeen? And you were able to cast not only one but  _ five  _ fully corporeal patronuses. Nobody has ever done that before. Even the most powerful witches and wizards can only cast one corporeal patronus.”

Harry quickly tried to come up with a lie, any lie to get him out of this situation. “I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. I only cast one patronus. Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Gwen cast the other ones.”

“No, they didn’t,” Gris growled, “I saw Ms. Evans when you were trying to teach her the charm. She didn’t even produce mist. Plus, you seemed especially attached to the patronuses like they were your own.”

Harry shrugged. “I’m friends with all of them. Of course, their patronuses would like me.”

“When did you learn how to cast the charm and who taught you it? It’s extremely advanced. I’m surprised you can even cast it.”

“An uncle of mine taught me it a few years ago,” Harry said throwing his hands up, “Look I got to go. I’ve got to meet up with Lily, and it’s almost lunch.”

Gris seemed to be weighing his options. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. You’re dismissed. Go eat some chocolate.”

No sooner had the words left the professor’s mouth had Harry bolted from the room. He quickly ran through halls of Hogwarts. He was beyond frustrated. He had wanted, needed, to fly under the radar and what did he go and do? He somehow managed to produce not one, not two, but  _ five _ patronuses. This was going to spread through the Hogwarts rumor mills like wildfire. Hell, Dumbledore probably already knew what he had done. 

This was all that stupid professor’s fault. Who in their right mind would let a Dementor loose in a room full of kids? Harry’s eyes grew darkened in remembrance. Voldemort had controlled the Dementors during his time. He would send them out whenever he wanted to send a message to the light. A murderous expression stole across Harry’s face when he remembered how Voldemort had sent the Dementors to attack one of the muggleborn safe houses the Order had set up. Twenty-five muggleborns ages eleven to thirteen had lost their souls that day. Harry still believed it would have been more merciful to just kill them, but maybe that was Tom’s point.

Harry turned down one of the lesser used hallways. It was darker with spider webs on the ceiling. Perfect for Harry’s mood.

With a vicious snarl, Harry slammed his fist into the wall. He hated thinking about everyone that had died. Those muggleborns had been  _ innocent _ . They were so young, and Voldemort had condemned them to a fate worse than death. Harry leaned his head against the wall, ignoring the throbbing in his hand. It all circled back to him. Maybe if he had been a little faster, a little stronger, a little smarter, he could have saved them all. Maybe if he had killed Voldemort sooner-

Harry’s head snapped up when he heard a quiet sniffling. Harry looked around, but he didn’t see anyone. He began to search the corridor, looking for whoever was crying. Harry followed the sound to a small alcove in the wall that had a suit of armor in it. There hidden behind the armor and shadows was a small girl.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked quietly, kneeling in front of her.

Startled, the girl’s head shot up, and Harry’s eyes met the tearful blue eyes of the girl. Her face was half hidden by the shadows, but Harry could make out her some of her features. She had a small button nose and large, electric blue eyes, tinted red from crying, that would have looked as soulful as Luna’s had if they hadn’t been so sad.

The girl sniffed slightly as she tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. “What-What are you doing here? Nobody ever comes up here.”

Harry sat down on the floor in front of her and simply said, “I needed to get away for a little while.”

The girls sniffed loudly before holding her head up high. “Well, you can just go away! Go taunt some other girl, why don’t you! I am sick and tired of you people messing with me! Leave me alone!”

“I’m not here to taunt you. Why would I do that?”

She sneered. “Of course, you’re here to taunt me. You all do.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here. My names Hadrian. I’m new. I just transferred this year.” 

The girl closed her eyes slowly and hung her head, embarrassed. “I am so sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t know.”

She rubbed her eyes roughly. “Still. I practically verbally assaulted you, and you were only trying to make me feel better. I am such an idiot!”

“I very much doubt you’re an idiot. Now, are you going to tell me who made you cry so I can go kick their asses?” Harry said with a small grin.

The girl gave a watery chuckle. “You don’t even know my name.”

“That would help too.” A genuine smile played on Harry’s lips. 

The girl smiled softly and held out her hand. “My name’s Theodosia. Theodosia BelleRose.”

“Enchanté, Mademoiselle,” Harry said with a smirk before kissing the back of her hand lightly.

Theodosia giggled quietly. “You know, you’re the first person to realize my surname is french?”

Harry shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a special guy.”

Harry grinned as Theodosia began to laugh quietly. Mission complete. The girl reminded him too much of Luna, and he couldn’t bear to see her so sad. It didn’t help he had a feeling Theodosia was crying for the same reason why Luna didn’t have any friends until her fifth year. “So, are you going to tell me why you’re sitting out here alone?”

“Oh, it was nothing. It was just-Oh Morgana, you’re bleeding!” She said as she grabbed his hand. The knuckles on his right hand were red and bloody. Harry blinked before grinning sheepishly. “I told you I needed to get away for awhile.”

Theodosia looked up from where she was inspecting his hand. “Well, I hope the other guy looks worse.”

Harry snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure that wall looks  _ terrible _ with my blood stained all over it.”

“Ahhh. I know the wall you’re talking about. That wall has damaged many hands,” She pulled out her wand and began to heal his hand. When she leaned forward Harry caught a glimpse of her tie.

“You’re a Hufflepuff?”

Theodosia froze uncertainly. “Yes,” she said guardedly.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Harry replied when he saw her reaction, “I’m just surprised you’re all the way up here.”

The girl cut him off with a snarl. “Why? Let me guess. ‘Oh, Hufflepuffs are scared of heights so they don’t want to go anywhere above ground level.’ Or is it, ‘Hufflepuffs are scared of the dark, so don’t turn off the lights!’ You know you guys are prejudiced assholes, the lot of you!”

Theodosia began to stand up, but Harry threw his hands up, stopping her. “Woah! That’s not what I meant at all! I was just surprised that you came all the way up here when your common room is all the way down near the dungeons.”

“How do you know where our common room is?” She growled with narrowed eyes.

Harry fought not to roll his eyes. “I saw a group go into it one day while I was going to class. I didn’t realize the houses were so secretive about where they were.”

A pale blush spread across Theodosia’s cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “I jumped to conclusions again, didn’t I?”

Harry nodded and stood up. “Yep, you did, but you can make it up to me by eating lunch with me.”

Theodosia began to look embarrassedly down at her shoes. “Um, I’m not hungry.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed. It looked as if the reason she was up here crying was down in the Great Hall. “C’mon. You need the energy so you can help me go kick the people who made you cry asses.”

Theodosia gave a soft smile but shook her head. “Look, Hadrian, I really don’t want to go down to the Great Hall,” she crossed her arms in front of herself defensively, “I don’t want to face them just yet. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harry said with a small nod before grinning, “You’re only against going to the Great Hall, right?”

“Yes?” she looked at Harry oddly.

“Well, then you shouldn’t be against going to the kitchens!” Harry began to lead her through the corridors.

Theodosia looked shocked. “You know where the kitchens are!”

Harry nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself. “Yep! I found it the third day I was here.”

Theodosia huffed. “I’ve been here five years, and I never found the damn thing.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, it was pretty hard to find.”

Harry looked Theodosia over. Although she claimed she was a fifth year, Harry had trouble believing her. She was shorter than him! Pretty much anyone older than a third year was taller than him, yet she was almost a head shorter than him. 

Harry blinked when he realized he had almost passed by the fruit portrait. “This is how you get into the kitchens,” Harry smirked down at her and began to tickle the pear. It gave off a squeaky giggle, and the portrait swung open. The two were greeted with a flurry of activity and shouts when they stepped over the threshold.

House elves crowded around them. “Whats cans we do for the young master and mistress!” a tiny voice squeaked above the others.

“All we want is some lunch and a place to eat it,” Harry smiled sadly down at the house elves. They reminded him of Dobby.

The excited house elves quickly pushed them to a replica of one of the house tables and began to put mounds and mounds of different foods in front of them. Theodosia looked in awe at all the food. “This… This is more than what they make for feasts,” She mumbled in shock.

Harry shrugged. “They like being visited in person,” he said before turning and thanking the house elves.

After a few minutes of trying to calm tearful house elves, Harry and Theodosia began to eat their lunch. It was slightly awkward like usual first meetings are. It didn’t help that Theodosia being two years younger than him, and absolutely refused to talk about why Harry had found her in an old forgotten hallway on the sixth floor.

“So,” Harry began awkwardly, “what’s your favorite class?”

“Healing.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Healing? I didn’t know they offered healing at this school.”

“They don’t,” Theodosia began to play with her food, “I learn it on my own. A self-study, so to speak.”

“Isn’t that slightly dangerous?”

Theodosia rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m mending broken bones. I learn the small, household charms. Like healing a papercut or the flu.”

“That’s still impressive. I know those things are really hard to learn from a book,” Harry viciously stabbed his fork into a cooked carrot. He knew  _ exactly _ how hard it was to learn how to heal from a book. He had spent weeks trying to learn how to heal his injuries during the Horcrux hunt from one beginner's book on healing. By the time he finished reading it, Harry could heal everything from a toothache to a broken nose, but had trouble healing anything cursed which was almost all the injuries he got. He eventually learned how to heal most cursed wounds but it involved a lot of trial and error.

  Theodosia smiled brightly. “You know how to heal!”

“Depends on what I’m healing,” Harry said cautiously.

“Well, we can teach each other!” Theodosia began to bounce slightly in her seat, “I can teach you what you don’t know, and you can teach me what I don’t know! It’ll be perfect!”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh come on!” Theodosia said excitedly, “It’ll be perfect!”

Harry thought it over. It would be safer if someone was there while she was trying to learn, and Harry could teach her some things she would need to know before the war got worse. And who knows, maybe she would be able to teach him some things. “Okay, I’ll do it, but only if you promise me that you won’t try to learn by yourself. It can be really dangerous, and I would feel more comfortable if I was there when you’re trying to learn.”

Theodosia huffed. “ _ Fine _ , I won’t do it by myself.”

Harry gave a relieved smile. “Good. That’s much safer.”

“When are we going to start? I vote tomorrow. Oh! Where are we going to practice? I’ve been doing it in my dorm, but we can’t do it there,” Theodosia said happily. Harry shook his head. Girls. First, they're mad, then they're happy. Harry would never understand their emotions.

“We can start tomorrow if you want, and don’t worry I know a place we can practice.”

Theodosia glanced down at her watch. “Oh, Morgana! I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late for Ancient Runes!”

She quickly gathered her stuff and ran out the door. Harry sat at the table for a few minutes before Theodosia came running back in. “I forgot to ask you,” she panted, “Where are we supposed to meet tomorrow?”

Harry chuckled. “I’ll meet you at the statue of the half naked witch on the seventh floor.”

“Seventh floor? Why the seventh floor?” Theodosia asked curiously.

“It’s a secret,” Harry smirked. He loved showing people the Room of Requirement. Their shock never got old.

Theodosia looked as if she wanted to question him, but she looked at her watch again. “Whatever. I’ve really got to go! I’ll see you tomorrow?” She yelled as she ran out the door.

Harry chuckled and began to gather his things. He checked the time and winced when he saw he was an hour late to potions. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he skipped potions class. Oh well, he had a lot of things to do without anyone around. 

Harry felt Kali twitch around his neck. “How’d you know I was thinking about you?”

Kali immediately stopped moving.

“Hey, don’t pretend to be asleep! I have a lot of questions to ask you starting with what the hell happened when I was attacked by that Dementor! I know you had something to do with those five patronuses!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, Bad, Ugly? Let me know in the comments below! What did you guys think of Theodosia? (PS She'll be very important in the future) What about the Dementor attack? Did any of you catch some of the references to other shows? Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! Don't be afraid to comment!


	12. Frustration, Panic, and Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry freaks out and makes a new friend and plenty mistakes because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the late update everyone! Half way through this chapter I had a case of writer's block and couldn't figure out how to get to the ending I wanted. Plus I've been having technical difficulties. ( PS, if anyone can tell me in the comments that they can actually read this story, that would be great. I think I did something weird to the story but I don't know what or how to fix it. If you know what I did and/or how to fix it that would be amazing!) Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and can actually read it! Enjoy!

Harry quickly made his way up to the Room of Requirement. He needed to have a conversation alone with Kali, and the kitchen was not a suitable place. Dodging students and teachers, Harry eventually made his way up to the seventh floor.

‘ _ I need a place where no one can find me. I need a place where no one can find me. I need a place where no one can find me, _ ’ Harry thought as he paced three times in front of the wall that lead to the Room of Requirement. As soon as the door appeared, Harry dashed in.

Harry paused when he saw what form the room had taken. It looked like a strange mix of the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. The room had the coloring of the Slytherin common room, but the comfort of the Gryffindor common room. Large green couches, armchairs, and bean bag chairs surrounded the roaring fire in the fireplace. Harry shook his head; he would figure out what this meant later.

With a growl, Harry unwrapped Kali from around his neck and threw her onto a sofa. Kali squaked and bared his teeth at him.

“Would you mind telling me what the hell went on in Defense? ‘Cause I would certainly like to know!” Harry growled.

Kali looked down at the cushion sheepishly and slowly backed away from Harry.

“Don’t think you can avoid this,” Harry crossed his arms, “I know you had something to do with what happened with that Dementor.”

Harry collapsed down on the couch beside Kali. “Okay,” Harry said, running his hand through his hair, “Okay. Rehash time. Maybe that will help me figure things out.

“First,” Harry stood up and began to pace, “I went to DADA with Mum and her friends where Bellatrix decided to show her bitchy side and cursed Gwen. Dad came in and saved the day, but Sirius continued the fight in the classroom. I walked in with Gwen and Marlene; we were the last ones in, and we didn’t close the door. I sat down beside Mum where she decided to start the awkwardest conversation known to man. But something didn’t feel right. I looked for the exits, but the door was closed which was weird because Gwen hadn’t closed it. I checked it out, but someone had used the Stoß Ward on it.”

Harry flopped back down on the couch. “Which I don’t understand. I really don’t think that ward has been invented yet. I thought Tom made it towards the end of the war in order to stop the Order’s attacks on his headquarters. 

“Surely my being here hasn’t changed things already?” Harry said rubbing the back of his head, “Merlin, I hope not. That would complicate a lot of things.”

Harry shook his head. “Anyway, the Dementor got loose and came after me like usual. I tried to teach Lily how to do the spell, but she couldn’t do it. The Dementor almost kissed me before… you clawed me. Kali, what did you do?” 

Kali sunk lower into the couch cushions. “Did you somehow make me remember happy memories?” Harry asked in shock. When Kali made no motion to answer Harry sighed. “Are you honestly not going to tell me anything?”

Harry rolled his eyes when Kali shook her head no. “Anyway,” Harry growled, “You did some kind of weird mojo of me that made me relive my happiest memories which somehow enabled me to produce not only Prongs like usual but also Lily, Moony, Teddy, and Padfoot…” Harry stuttered to a stop. “Padfoot,” He repeated quietly looking lost in thought. 

Kali cocked her head and watched him warily. Suddenly he screeched and shot up causing Kali to squawk in alarm and accidently fall off the couch. Harry didn’t notice since he was in the midst of a panic attack.

“Oh god! I called Padfoot by name! I said his name! The Marauders were there; they must have heard me call him that. Did I call the others by their names?” Harry sat back down on the couch in an effort to calm himself, “Dear Merlin, what am I going to do?”

Kali crawled up Harry’s pants leg and nervously eyed her companion. “There’s no way the Marauder’s could have not noticed that. Oh, Kali, this is bad. Really, really bad. I was supposed to fly under the radar, but it’s barely been a week and I’ve already screwed it all up. The Marauders are going to want to know what they were doing as my patronuses.”

Harry took several, deep breaths trying to calm himself. “Okay. Let’s start with things we know. We don’t know if the Marauders even heard me. They may have been too freaked out by the Dementor to pay attention to me. For now, I’ll focus on what the hell you did to me in order to get me to summon  _ five _ patronuses.”

The panic that had encompassed him for the past few minutes began to fade away. At least he had a plan now. Harry glanced down at Kali but sighed in frustration when he noticed her closed lipped stance on the patronuses. “It looks like the only place I’ll get a straight answer is the freaking manual that came with you. I swear, you are more of a hassle than what you are worth sometimes,” He grumbled, ignoring Kali’s squawk of indignation before groaning and dropping his head into his hands, “But getting the book means going back to the Gryffindor Tower, and going back to the Gryffindor Tower means running into the Marauders. Fuck!”

Harry growled, “Just my luck,” he glanced up at the clock that materialized on the wall, “Maybe they’re not back to their dorms yet. If I leave now, I can probably make it there and back without being caught.”

Harry quickly grabbed Kali from her resting spot and draped her around his neck. “Do you think we’ll make it?”

Kali shook her head causing Harry to roll his eyes. “This is the point where you lie to me and say we will.”

Harry peeked out the door to the Room of the Requirement before slipping out and making his way to Gryffindor Tower. Harry had to hide a wince when he saw students whisper when he passed them. It seemed as if his escapade in Defense had already become the hot gossip in school. 

Harry continued to sulk as he stomped up the stairs to the Fat Lady. An interested gleam entered her eyes, but Harry cut her off before she could say anything. “Leonis animum.”

The Fat Lady pouted but allowed him to enter. Harry let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the only people in the common room were a couple of first and second years. Harry bounded up the steps to his dorm before he could receive odd looks from the students. He paused outside the door, hoping that the Marauders weren’t inside, and opened it with a quiet click.

It must have been Harry’s lucky day because the room was deserted. “Thank Merlin,” Harry leaned against the door in relief before quickly walking over to his trunk. Out of habit, he checked the wards he placed on it and froze. It looked as if the Marauders had tried to break into his trunk. The amount of sheer power they had used would have broken into even the most guarded trunks, but thankfully Harry had found in the Black grimoire and Kali’s book many long forgotten and powerful spells that the Marauders were no match for. With a growl, Harry flung his trunk open and snatched Kali’s book and his invisibility cloak before warding his trunk again. He didn’t know if the Marauders were back from their classes yet, and he was not going to get caught by them especially after he learned that they tried to break into his trunk. Harry doubted he would be able to keep control of his temper if he ran into them.

Harry threw the cloak over himself and tiptoed out of his dorm and down the stairs. Harry peeked into the common room and immediately thanked whatever god there was that he had decided to use the cloak. The Marauders were huddled together by the fire, deep in conversation ignoring the other students in the room. Carefully, Harry picked his way through the room to the portrait hole making sure that he didn’t bump into anyone. Harry had just got to the portrait hole before he realized something important. He couldn’t just leave the common room invisible like he had in his time. The Marauders had a cloak of their own; they would notice and realize someone was invisible if the portrait opened and closed with nobody entering or exiting. Harry huffed and waited impatiently for a few minutes. Every few seconds, he would glance warily at the Marauders, paranoid that they would realize that he was there. Finally, the portrait opened and a group of first years entered. Harry hastily exited the common room, accidentally nudging the last first year in the group before he ran through the corridors.

Harry quickly put a lot of distance between him and the common room, not really caring where he was going as long as it was far away from the Marauders. When he made it to the third floor he ducked into an old hidden alcove. He glanced down the hallway to make sure nobody was around before shrugging the cloak off and wrapping it around the book. Now that he knew where the Marauders were he didn’t need the cloak, but the book needed to remain hidden. Quickly, he stuffed the invisible bundle into his bag and put a Notice-Me-Not charm on it.

Harry walked out of the alcove like nothing had happened and wondered where he should go. He really should have gone back to the Room of Requirement, but in his haste to get away from the Gryffindor Tower he had taken a wrong turn. After a few minutes of deliberation, he decided to go to Myrtle’s bathroom. Nobody would be there, and he could start to befriend the sullen ghost. You never knew when a ghost would come in handy.

“Hey, Hadrian!” a voice shouted from behind him.

Harry jumped and turned around. Lily and her group of friends had just exited Professor McGonagall's room and were coming towards him.

“Well, what do you know? It’s the Gryffindor genius!” Alice said with an easy grin, “What are you doing all the way down here? I thought you had class now.”

Harry gave the group an uneasy grin and started to answer, but Lily cut him off. “Guys, can I talk to Hadrian for a moment?”

The group looked at Lily oddly. She still looked pale from the encounter with the Dementor and she was unsmiling. She had a blank look on her face, but there was a fire in her eyes that had Harry worried.

Gwen gave Lily a small smile. “Sure. We’ll meet you at the common room.”

Alice and Marlene looked hesitant to leave, obviously wanting to know what Lily wanted to talk to Harry about, but Gwen quickly dragged them away from the silent duo. Once Gwen had managed to drag the two around the corner Lily turned back to Harry. Harry fought the urge to step away from her. She truly looked frightening, her eyes blazing and her arms crossed.

“Hadrian,” Lily began in a sickeningly sweet manner, “How do you know my sister’s name?”

Harry froze as he tried to remember anytime he had mentioned Petunia. Lily had never mentioned anything about her family in all the times he had been with her. Then he remembered. The attack, that’s what this was about. She had said something about being a freak, and he told her that Petunia was a bitch. Fuck, Lily never said it was her sister, much less her name.

“One of the girls told me, I think,” Harry said hoping that the vague answer would be enough for her.

Lily eyed him carefully. “That’s odd because, you see, I asked the girls if they had mentioned my sister to you and they said no.”

“Maybe they just said something in passing,”Harry said uneasily.

Lily shook her head. “No, I don’t think they did. My sister is a very touchy topic, you see. They wouldn’t tell someone they just met about her.

“Maybe I heard it from James then. He wouldn’t shut up about you after that party. I swear, you’re all he ever talks about,” Harry said offhandedly.

“No, I don’t think that’s it either. I don’t tell anyone about my sister especially since the war has started. The only people that know about her are Gwen, Alice, and Marlene. James doesn’t even know about her,” she said with a fake pleasantness that was worse than shouting.

Harry plastered on a grin. “Well, it’s James. He probably knows a lot of things about you that you don’t realize,” Lily raised an eyebrow at his statement and he quickly tried to backpedal, “Not in a weird stalker way, just things like your favorite color and your sister’s name!”

Lily was silent for a moment and stared deep into Harry’s eyes. Even though Harry didn’t feel anything pushing against his occlumency shields, he would have sworn that Lily was trying to read his mind. “You’re lying,” she said quietly.

“I’m not. How else could you explain how I know your sister’s name?”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t know, but I do know you didn’t learn it from anyone at Hogwarts. There’s no way you could have learned it from anyone here.”

“Lily, somebody told me about your sister. Maybe I was wrong, maybe it was Severus who mentioned her; we did share a carriage. Even if it wasn’t him, somebody had to have told me about her,” Harry claimed.

At the mention of her old friend’s name, Lily’s head snapped up. She stared at him for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before shaking her head no again. “No, you’re lying. Severus wouldn’t mention me much less my sister.”

Harry threw up his hands. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you! Somebody told me Petunia’s name. I couldn’t have known it any other way!” 

Lily flinched slightly at her sister’s name but she fought to retain the calm facade that masked her anger and fear. “I don't know how you know her name, but I  _ know _ you are lying. And I do not accept liars as my friends. This is your one and only warning. I will not tolerate it if you lie to me again. I will not let you around me or my friends if you so much as tell a white lie. Do you understand me?”

Harry paused. “Shouldn't your friends decide for themselves if they want to be friends with me or not?”

“I'm sure they would understand my reasoning if I tell them you've been lying to us.”

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Fine. Fine, I won't lie to you, alright?” He inconspicuously crossed his fingers behind his back.

“I'm putting my trust in you, Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin. Do  _ not  _ break,” Lily said before she began to walk away. “Oh, and by the way,” Lily turned back, “Don’t call my sister a bitch. She is  _ my _ family. You have no right to judge her.” With a flip of her hair, Lily left.

Harry finally let his calm mask drop as soon as his mother disappeared from sight. He groaned loudly and yanked at his hair, the sharp pain distracting him from the ultimatum his mother had given him.

“Fuck! Why does this always happen! Am I literally that stupid as to mention Petunia in front of Lily? Why did I do that?!” Harry admonished himself as he stomped the rest of the way to Myrtle’s bathroom, “And now, she thinks I’m a liar. Which I am but still! The only reason I lie to her is to protect her. Who knows what would happen if I told her the truth; I doubt she would take it well. I can just imagine it. ‘Hi, mum. My name is actually Harry James Potter-Black, and I’m your son from the future. I’m here to make sure you and my father, who is James Potter, by the way, don’t die in four years.’ Yeah, that would just be just great. She would  _ totally _ accept me with open arms.”

Harry forced himself to calm down before he entered Myrtle’s bathroom. It wouldn’t do to get off on the wrong foot with the temperamental ghost. If he somehow insulted or infuriated her in some way during his first meeting, Harry doubted he would ever gain her trust in the future. Plastering on a smirk that would make most playboys envious, Harry walked into the girls’ bathroom without so much as a knock and cast as many silencing and locking charms on the door as he could. He’d rather it not be shouted to the world that he was in Myrtle’s bathroom when she noticed him. 

An infuriated shriek greeted him when he entered the room. “WHOEVER IS IN MY BATHROOM NEEDS TO LEAVE  _ NOW!! _ I’M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU GUYS PICKING ON ‘ _ PATHETIC, CRY-BABY MYRTLE’ _ !!” The furious ghost shrieked from her stall.

“Excuse me, miss? May I speak to you?” Harry called out carefully.

A pale figure poked her head above the stall. “This is the  _ girls’  _ bathroom, idiot! The boys’ is on the fourth floor!”

Harry effortlessly pulled up a flirtatious smirk. “I wanted to meet the brilliant girl everyone has been talking about. I heard she haunted this bathroom. I assume that’s you?”

Myrtle blinked and smiled bashfully before she squashed it down with a wary look. “Who are you? This better not be a trick! If it is, I swear I will haunt you! You won’t sleep peacefully until you leave Hogwarts!”

“I must apologize. It seems as if I have forgotten my manners. I am Lord Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin, and I would never dare trick a beautiful lady such as yourself,” Harry said with a small, polite bow.

Myrtle watched him warily. Evidently his flattery had not convinced her of his willingness for a friendship. “Lord Slytherin,” She began carefully, watching his every move, “I knew a Lord Slytherin once. A cruel, sadistic creature he was. He caused so much pain and hatred in so few years. Are you anything like your relation?”

“Although he is a relative of mine, I do not claim his as family. We are too different and I do not agree with many of his... _ ideals _ . I prefer a much simpler way of life that involves beautiful people like you,” Harry answered with an easy smirk that he had used in his past to win over the press.

Myrtle chuckled darkly. “You say you are different, yet it is obvious you have inherited his charm. Although the previous Lord Slytherin was a very cruel man, he had a certain quality about him that could infatuate even the noblest of people. You clearly have that ability, and use it commonly,” Myrtle stared at him, a far off look entering her eyes, “But you also have a darkness in you that I have only seen in Riddle. I have to say, you handle it much better than he ever could.”

“Just because there is darkness in me doesn’t mean I am anything like Tom,” Harry said sharply before conceding, “You are right, I share many qualities with my ancestor, but I do not let these qualities define me. I form my own ideals and I  _ will not _ become some mindless sheep that simply follows the ideals or superiors that society sets. I am my own man, and I won’t let myself be controlled, not again.”

Myrtle watched him appraisingly. “Riddle was the same way. He refused to become a mindless follower and set out to change the world. Take care you don’t end up like him.”

Harry nodded. “I will keep that in mind.”

At his words, Myrtle smiled brightly and actually began to look like the thirteen-year-old girl/ghost that she was. “Now that that is out of the way, mind telling me why you’re in my bathroom? And I would like the truth instead of the lies and flattery that your silver tongue was spouting off minutes ago.”

Harry contemplated her words. He could go two ways: he could lie and manipulate her or he could be himself and tell her the truth. After a moment's thought, Harry let his mask slip for the first time since he had come to Hogwarts. He had a feeling he would be much more convincing if he told the truth instead of twisting the truth. He couldn’t afford to lose any allies. Harry took a deep breath and finally said, “I needed a friend.”

“Oh?” Myrtle raised an eyebrow at his statement, “You? Shouldn’t you have a whole posse of followers that would be willing to do anything for you?”

Harry glared at her. “You’re confusing me with Tom. Unlike him, I seem to be having a shortage of true allies. Yes, people are willing to smile and play nice but they either have their own motives or don’t trust me.” 

“So that’s what this is about. Allies? I would think they would be much easier to gain than friends. Riddle seemed to acquire many of them, although I doubt all of them were true. What seems to be the problem?”

“I’m not what people expected.”

Myrtle snorted. “And that’s a bad thing? Being unpredictable keeps you alive.”

“But it doesn’t get you many friends,” Harry countered.

“I thought you wanted allies,” Myrtle shot back.

Harry forced down a growl. “You’re twisting my words! I want friends, but if I can’t have them then I at least need allies.”

“Then why did you come to me?”

“Because I hoped you’d be my friend or at least an ally,” Harry repeated.

Myrtle floated out of her stall until she was in front of him. “But that still doesn’t answer the question. Why  _ me _ ? Why did you choose me over some human? Or am I your last resort?”

Harry shifted slightly. He hadn’t expected the ghost to act like this. In his time, all she did was yell at the girls or flirt with the boys, but then again, he had only met her a few times, and the Lord Slytherin was never mentioned. But even then, she never seemed so serious. Harry thought back to what he knew about ghosts. He had had very few interactions with ghosts in his time, and the few times he did they only seemed to focus on what was occurring in the castle at that time or their deaths. They very rarely talked about their lives. If they did, it was always vague. Maybe the older a ghost became, the more they forgot about their lives? That would explain why Myrtle never told anyone about Tom. “You’re not my last resort,” Harry said eventually, “Actually you were one of my top picks.”

“But  _ why _ did you pick me,” Myrtle whined, beginning to get annoyed with Harry.

“Because you’re useful,” Harry finally said, “Nobody expects you. At most, people ignore you as if you’re not there. You know all the gossip that goes on in this school. I mean, you live in a girls bathroom, of course, you would know all the gossip! Plus, you’re smart. I know you were a Ravenclaw before you died,” Harry faltered for a moment before continuing, “And I thought that if worse comes to worst then at least I wouldn’t get you killed since you’re already dead.”

Myrtle looked at Harry appraisingly. “I told you to tell the truth but I didn’t actually expect you to.”

Harry rolled his eyes before holding out his hand. “So, what do you say? Allies?”

Myrtle glanced at his hand before smiling. “Friends.”

The teenage ghost passed her hand through his in a semblance of a handshake. Harry shivered as chills racked through his body but smiled anyway. At least, if everyone turned on him now as the sorting hat predicted (which was looking more and more likely the more he slipped up. Lily had already threatened to leave him and take her friends with her. The only other person he may be able to consider an ally was Theodosia, but he had just met her today and she didn’t know he was the new Lord Emrys-Slytherin.) he would have at least one person who’d have his back.

“So, how’d you know I was a Ravenclaw?” Myrtle asked.

Harry grinned cheekily. “You’re not in the smart house. Us Gryffindors can be smart too!”

Myrtle’s eyes skyrocketed. “Gryffindor, huh? How’d you end up in that house?”

“Why does everyone ask that!”

“Because you’re Lord Slytherin! Duh!” Myrtle rolled her eyes, her age becoming apparent.

“But I could still be a Gryffindor!”

“Yeah! If you bribed the Sorting Hat!” Myrtle snorted.

Harry tried to look affronted. “I didn’t bribe the Sorting Hat!”

“Sure you didn’t,” Myrtle drawled.

“I didn’t,” Harry grumbled before shaking his head, “Anyway, we’re getting off topic. I had something to ask you.”

Myrtle looked at him curiously. “What did you want to ask me?”

“Do you know of anyone who might be experimenting with warding or dark spells?”

“No, actually,” Myrtle said looking extremely put out before brightening slightly, “But the most of the Slytherin house along with a few of the Ravenclaws are probably experimenting with the dark arts.”

Harry paused at the mention of the Ravenclaw house. “Some Ravenclaws are practicing the dark arts?”

Myrtle nodded energetically. “Yeah! There’s a lot of purebloods in the house that are being pressured by their parents to join the ” Myrtle paused, glancing around, “Um,  _ french _ , if you know what I mean.”

Harry grinned. “I put up silencing and warding spells as soon as I got in here.”

Myrtle pouted. “But we might as well be secretive. You never know what might happen. Plus code names are awesome!”

Harry laughed. “Okay. We’ll start referring to  _ you know _ as the french.”

Myrtle floated up and down as if she was bouncing, laughing. “Yes! I knew I could convince you to use code names! Hey, do you want a code name? I’m sure we could come up with something cool!”

Harry grinned. Her cheerfulness was contagious. He watched as she excitedly started spouting out ideas. Harry thought about it for a moment before shrugging. His father and his friends had their own code names. Why couldn’t he and his friends? “Sure! Why not?”

Myrtle squealed and gave him a ghostly hug that made him shiver, but he returned it the best he could. “So I was thinking we could have our code names be our favorite animal or something.”

Harry thought for a moment before shaking his head. It was too close to the Marauders nicknames for his liking. “What about something to do with whatever we like to do? Like having to do with a hobby or something?”

This time, it was Myrtle who was shaking her head. “I don’t think so. What would we call ourselves then? ‘Cause I’m definitely not going to be called something like Books or whatever. It’s not going to happen.”

“You’re right. That was a dumb idea.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Myrtle said trying to make up for his flop idea, “Just not thought out.”

Harry sighed. “Do you have any other ideas? I’m all out.”

Myrtle paused before pouting. “This is harder than I thought.”

Harry chuckled. “How about we think about and we meet again in a few days and exchange ideas.”

Myrtle nodded but seemed hesitant. “Okay, but do you have to go now? We don’t have to talk about codenames! We can talk about hobbies like you said or your classes! We could talk about your classes!” Myrtle said desperately.

Harry paused. He really should be going, but she seemed really desperate for companionship. After a moment he conceded. “I can stay for thirty more minutes, but after that ,  _ have _ to go.”

Myrtle immediately brightened up and started babbling about almost everything. Harry just leaned back on the sinks and let her talk, making the appropriate comments whenever she paused. Thirty minutes came and went, but Harry didn’t have the heart to tell her. For the first time since Harry had met her, she actually seemed happy, but when an hour had passed Harry was forced to stop her even though he didn’t want to. “I’m sorry, Myrtle, but I’ve got to go.” 

Myrtle paused in the middle of her description of the Ravenclaw Tower and nodded dejectedly. “Yeah, you probably have something to do.”

Harry smiled kindly and said his goodbyes before turning and heading to the door. He was just about to open the door when Myrtle called out. 

“Wait!” she cried, stopping him from leaving.

“Yeah, Myrtle?” He asked quietly.

The ghost began to nervously fiddle with her hands. “Just-just come back soon, okay? You weren’t the only one who needed a friend.”

Harry smiled gently at the girl. “I promise to come back as soon as I can, Myrtle. I’ll try to make it tomorrow, but if I can’t make tomorrow then I promise to come the next day. Is that okay with you?”

Myrtle smiled at him gratefully. “I’m sure I can fit it into my schedule,” she joked.

Harry laughed and waved at her one last time before finally exiting the bathroom. 

“I always knew you were a perve, but really? The  _ girls’ bathroom _ ?”

Harry jerked at the accusation, but before he could do or say anything rough hands grabbed him and yanked him into the alcove that he had hidden in just hours before. 

“What the hell, guys!”

The Marauders stood in front of him in all their glory. James, Sirius, and Remus looked quite menacing with their silhouettes shrouded in shadow since the blocked the only exit. Harry had to hide a wince when he noticed that they were glaring down at him with their arms crossed. Peter stood behind them slightly, peeking over their shoulders. He smirked and cheekily waved at Harry before disappearing into the hall probably playing lookout for his friends. 

“What are you guys doing?” Harry said hesitantly.

James gave him a fake smile. “Well, we  _ did  _ want to ask you a few questions, but now I’m more concerned about the fact that you came out of the girls’ bathroom.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that,” Sirius jumped in.

Harry ran his hands through his hair. “Look, it’s a long story that I don’t have time to explain. I’ve got to go; I’ll see tonight.”

Harry tried to push past him, but James and Sirius immediately blocked him. Remus stepped forward, arms crossed and deadly serious. “It seems like a lot of things are long stories when it comes to you.”

Harry ignored him and tried to push past them but was blocked again. “I’ve got to go! We can talk later, I promise, but I have to go.”

“Whatever it is can wait,” Sirius growled, “If it even exists. It couldn’t have been that important if you didn’t do it during that potions class you skipped.”

“How’d you know about potions?” Harry asked, thrown off by the fact that they knew his schedule.

“It doesn’t matter,” Remus glared at Sirius causing him to look appropriately cowed, “What does matter is you and all the weird things that happen around you.”

“Oh, Lupin! I didn’t realize you cared so much about me!” Harry said with a flirtatious wink.

Sirius growled and pushed in front of Remus, getting into Harry’s face. “Now, you listen to me. I don’t trust you. Hell, I don’t even remotely  _ like  _ you. Even though you somehow managed to trick your way into Gryffindor, you’re still a  _ slimy snake, _ and you always will be.”

“Don’t hold back, Black,” Harry drawled, “Tell me how you really feel.”

Sirius snarled and looked like he was going to lunge forward, but Remus pushed Sirius behind him effectively blocking him from Harry. “Now’s not the time, Sirius. We need him breathing so he can answer our questions.” 

“Oh, so cute,” Harry snickered, “Listen to your boyfriend. Black. He’s just trying to protect you.”

Harry tried not to laugh at Sirius’ outraged face as he lunged at Harry again barely being stopped by Remus. Harry glanced at James and felt a flash of hurt pass through him when he noticed his father had done nothing to stop Sirius and just stood back watching the situation play out with a smirk. Harry immediately tried to squash the feelings. They were completely irrational. James didn’t even know that Harry was his son. It was so incredibly stupid to be upset about his father not stopping his godfather from attacking him. Hell, his father wasn’t even his father yet, same with Sirius not being his godfather. They didn’t know him, and to be completely honest, Harry didn’t know them. Sure he knew a little bit about their adult counterparts, but Harry knew next to nothing about their teenage selves. They were just James, Sirius, and Remus not his father, godfather, and honorary uncle.

“Sirius! Calm down! He’s just trying to rile you up! It’s just another distraction,” Remus barked. 

When it looked as if Sirius wasn’t going to stop struggling, James pushed off the wall he was leaning on with a sigh. “Come on, Pads. Remember the mission. You want to figure this out, right?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said stiffly, beginning to calm down a bit.

“Then stop acting like an idiot!” James rolled his eyes before turning to Harry. Harry subconsciously straightened his spine as James walked around him, silently appraising him before saying, “For an all powerful lord, you’re not much to look at.” 

Harry choked on the laughter he was trying to hide. Really? Even though he had changed his looks so that he didn’t look exactly like his father, they still looked similar! James basically said that he wasn’t much to look at by saying Harry wasn’t much to look at.

James continued, not bothering to wait for Harry’s reaction. “You’re a very odd person, Slytherin. We’ve done a little bit of research on you, and let’s just say it’s been surprising what little we did find out about you. First, you tried to sit with us on the train,” Harry tried to explain that he hadn’t but James ignored him and began to pace, “Then, we hear that you sat with Sirius’  _ brother _ and Snivellus. Not to mention, Malfoy wants to add you to his list of conquests. Then you go and sit with some of the most dangerous people in the entire school, yet you somehow managed to get on their good side in one meeting. It normally takes them weeks just to acknowledge people let alone doing it without disdain. But that all makes sense because you’re the heir of Slytherin. Nobody would flinch if you turned out to be evil.”

James stopped pacing and turned to stare at Harry. “But there’s a lot of things that  _ don’t  _ make sense about you. You’re a Slytherin. You’re supposed to be in  _ Slytherin _ , yet you somehow managed to make it into Gryffindor. I don’t know if you bribed the hat or if you threatened it, but I do know it had a weird reaction to you. In all my years at Hogwarts, I have never seen the Sorting Hat shutter before. And that’s not even the weirdest thing that’s happened to you! Defense today took the cake!”

James stalked closer to Harry, and if Harry didn’t already know his patronus was a stag, he would have sworn his father’s animagus was some kind of predator. “We have a lot of questions to ask you about Defense. You see, we’ve done a lot of research over the past few hours on dementors and patronuses and everything we’ve read claims that a person can only have one patronus, and the patronus only takes the form of said person’s animagus form or the animagus form of a loved one. So would you like to explain how you have  _ five _ patronuses?”

Harry nervously ran a hand through his hair. “Although I don’t think any of this is your business,” Harry threw a glare at the group of boys, “I’ll answer you the best I can. I honestly don’t know how I managed to produce five patronuses. I’ve only ever been able to produce the stag. I’ve never even seen the other patronuses before.”

James nodded sagely before saying, “I don’t believe you. You recognized the patronuses. Hell, you even had names for them. Pretty odd names if you ask me. What were they? Prongs, Paddy, and Moon Moon?” James asked Harry, seeing if he would correct him.

Harry winced but said nothing. James continues after a moment's pause. “We looked you up after the class. Did you know there’s no trace of you until a few months ago? It’s like you appeared out of thin air! There’s no mention of you or your mysterious parents in any newspaper? You would think the deaths of two influential purebloods would make the front page but we couldn’t find anything. Hell, we couldn’t even find their names.”

“They were very private people,” Harry snapped.

James gave him a fake smile. “Sure they were. And I’m Snivellus’ brother.”

“What exactly are you implying?” Harry ground out.

“We don’t think you are who you claim to be,” James said with a smirk, “Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin didn’t exist until a few months ago. We think you created this identity of an influential pureblood for your own nefarious purposes. We couldn’t figure out why someone would want everyone to believe they were Lord Slytherin, but we eventually did. After all, who has the most ties to Salazar Slytherin but Voldemort?”

“What?” Harry choked out, completely shocked, “You think I’m in league with  _ Voldemort _ ?!”

“Why not? You have managed to put yourself in the best place of recruitment. You can scout out the most talented, and everyone will trust you because you managed to threaten your way into the house of the brave.”

“You’re mad,” Harry muttered in shock, “You’ve all gone bloody insane.”

“Admit it, Death Eater,” Sirius snarled, pushing past Remus and James, “You’re in league with Voldemort!”

Harry stared up at Sirius, not really processing what was happening around him. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

Sirius snarled, “We will when every one of you hypocritical bastards are dead or in prison!”

Harry sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

He knew he was going to regret this in the future, but he had no other choice. They already knew something was off about him, and even though they didn’t reach the right conclusion, who knew how long it would take them to find out who he truly was? They would keep researching and badgering him, always suspicious of every little thing. He couldn’t allow that. Harry flicked his wrist and pointed his wand at the Marauders. “Obliviate! Imperio!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, Bad, Ugly? Let me know in the comments below (and if you can actually read it. If nobody responds, that's okay; I'll just repost the story. Although I'm hoping not to.) So Lily and the Marauders confronted Harry. This is not gonna end well, especially with him using the imperious curse and obliviating his own father! (If you guys don't like the ending, I may end up rewriting it. I kinda rushed it because I wanted to post this chapter before I left) What did you think of Myrtle? And her knowledge about Tommy Boy? Do you think her and Harry will be able to be friends?  
> Info about the next chapter: I leave for Italy tomorrow, so I doubt I'll be able to get another chapter written by Saturday, so I apology in advance for that. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon and (if everything goes according to plan) Regulus will be in it for you guys missing Reggie. Sorry for not being able to make it by Saturday, but I'm hoping it won't be too late.  
> Oh! I almost forgot! I wanna create a group for Harry (kind of like the Marauders) but I realized I'm terrible at names! (Ps Harry's group will originally consist of Harry, Myrtle, and Theo) So maybe you can give me some ideas if you want, and may the best contestant win!


	13. Hot Chocolate and Death Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry decides he's an idiot and hears an interesting conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I'm back! I'm sorry for the late update; life has just been hella busy and I haven't had as much time to write as I hoped I would this summer. It also didn't help that my computer crashed when I was finishing this chapter causing me to lose everything. I had to write it all over again from memory. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than some of the previous ones, but I thought you would prefer an update over a long chapter so here it is! Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think!

Harry sat silently in his bed with the curtains drawn around him, nursing a hot chocolate. He picked at the worn blanket that hung around his shoulders and tried to ignore the fact the empty room, but it was very hard to do when the silence felt stifling. He was tempted to hum or talk to Kali but there was something about the quiet that filled the room that made him feel like it shouldn’t be disturbed. Harry tugged the blanket tighter around him, trying to get rid of that god-awful feeling. It didn't matter that it was September. He needed the comfort and the hot chocolate and worn blanket helped with that.   


The reason he even needed the comfort in the first place was because of what he had done yesterday. Just thinking about it made his stomach turn. Harry should never have obliviated the Marauders. It was a mistake, and he knew it. They would never trust him if they ever found out what he did to them. Unbidden, his mind wandered to that night.

_ " _ _ Obliviate!" _ _  
_

_ The trio's eyes immediately became glassy and unfocused. They wouldn't remember this meeting they had had with Harry nor would they remember the research they had done on him. Harry delved deeper into their memories and put a slight haze over their memories of that fateful defense class. They would remember he had cast five patronuses but they wouldn't remember what the patronuses were and Harry's conversation with them. He made the charm extra strong on the memories of him calling the patronuses by their names, effectively whipping the Marauders’ minds of those memories. He would forever regret what he did next. _ _  
_

_ "Imperio!" _ _  
_

_ Harry's stomach turned uneasily as three of the people he admired most faces became completely blank and vacant. A look he had hoped he would never see on their faces and a look he had put there. _ _  
_

_Harry took a shuddering breath and began, "You were thinking of a new prank in your dorm before you went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Peter saw a girl he liked so you left him talking to her but not before messing with him for a bit. You will continue back to your dorm and go back to planning your new prank, but you will never remember this conversation or the fact that you ran into me. Leave. Now."_ _  
_ The only person he hadn’t had a problem with cursing was Peter. He had taken a sadistic delight in making him think he was in love with Courtney Parker, a snobby halfblood that absolutely hated Peter. 

The others, though, he shouldn’t have cursed. They were his family. He knew now that he should never have done it. It was stupid and selfish and inconsiderate. He had come back in order to save and protect them, but instead he had not only obliviated them but he also used an Unforgivable Curse on them.   
Harry felt sick to his stomach, and even the smell of the hot chocolate that he had been previously enjoying made him want to vomit. Remus was the one that introduced him to hot chocolate. It had been after Sirius- Harry's thought cut off suddenly. Harry took a deep breath. He needed to get over this. After Sirius died, Harry forced himself to think, Remus had tried to comfort him the best he could. That had been the first time he had had hot chocolate.  
Now it felt as if he was betraying Remus. All Harry could think of was the harsh look on Remus' face when they had confronted him melt into a dreamy, vacancy that Harry had hoped to never see on his face. He didn’t know which he hated more, the half suspicious half furious look or the vacant look that Harry had seen on too many people over the past few years.

Suddenly feeling too hot, Harry set down the mug and threw off the blanket before carefully folding it back up again. It was extremely precious to him even though he wasn’t exactly sure who it had first belonged to. The blanket was a rich red, a color that reminded Harry of wine or blood, with a large golden crest of a lion roaring on its hind legs. He had found it in Sirius’ old room at Grimmauld Place when he had been cleaning up the place, but Harry didn’t know for sure if it had been his or not. After all, the blanket was clearly muggle made since the blanket still had a ragged, fading tag on it and the crest was just a generic crest and not the true Gryffindor crest. Although Harry had found the small treasure in his godfather’s house, Harry doubted this teenage version of Sirius would want a muggle blanket even if he had many muggle clothes.

Harry lovingly traced a random doodle of a broomstick on the blanket. The main reason Harry doubted it was Sirius’ to begin with was the fact that all the Marauders and Lily had written their names as well as many doodles in ink on the blanket. There was even a heart drawn on it that had JP+LE written in it. (There was also a Mrs. Lily Violet Evans Potter written on it but the words had been scratched out, making it barely legible) The blanket may have first belonged to Remus or (as much as he hated it) Peter since they were both halfbloods and had access to the muggle world. It could have even belonged to Lily, but it was doubtful since the majority of the writing came from the Marauders.

Harry carefully packed away his blanket into one of the many compartments in his trunk, making sure to lock and ward it so that the Marauders wouldn’t be able to get in it. A string of curses left his lips when he glanced down at his watch and saw what time it was. Harry snagged his shoes and hurriedly put them on as he ran out the door and through the common room. He was supposed to have met Theodosia ten minutes ago to start their healing session. It was only the first day, and he was already late.

Harry ran up the steps two at a time, dodging a few gawking students. In less than a minute, he had made it to the seventh floor. Harry quickly began to walk down the corridor, but just as he was about to turn the corner to where he was supposed to meet Theodosia he heard voices.

“Well, would you look who it is,” a voice that reminded Harry of Malfoy when he was younger drawled, “If it isn’t little Theodosia BelleRose. What are you doing skulking around up here? Shouldn’t you be down in the dungeons with the rest of your  _ pathetic _ house?”

“My house is not  _ pathetic _ !” Theodosia growled at the offending person, “Just because I’m not in Slytherin doesn’t make me pathetic!”

“That's  _ exactly  _ what it makes you. You have shamed your family,” the voice drawled, “You are a BelleRose yet you ended up in Hufflepuff. That means you were too weak to get into Slytherin like the rest of your family.”

“Most of my family are  _ dead  _ because they followed  _ your _ master and all of them were Slytherins. So it looks like being in Hufflepuff saved my ass!”

There was a loud thud and a squawk of protest. Harry tensed, prepared to intervene at a moment's notice. “I’d be careful how you speak about our lord,” the voice said dangerously.

There was a slight pause before Theodosia sighed. “Why are you even here? I’ve seen you following me for the past few days. Why?”

“I’ve actually come to talk to you about our lord,” the voice said losing it’s dark tone and going back to its original tone. Harry cocked his head at the sudden shift.

“ _ Your _ lord,” Theodosia muttered, “Not ours.”

“No.  _ Ours _ . Our lord has decided you still have potential. I don’t see it, but the Dark Lord always has his reasons and he is always right. He thinks you can still be saved, and he is offering you redemption. All you have to do is join us. Join our cause.”

There was a sharp intake of breath. Evidently she had not been expecting this. “Why?” she stuttered, “Why me? After all, you said so yourself that I’m just a pathetic Hufflepuff.  _ He doesn’t need me! _ ”

“The  Dark Lord has his reasons, and you would do well not to question them,” the voice growled before continuing, “And we are always needing more people to join our cause. It helps that you’re not just any person. You’re a BelleRose. Your family used to be the epitome of the pureblood society. A true  _ dark _ family, not like what these pathetic light families claim are dark now. Even the Blacks respected your family and your power.”

“We’re not like that anymore!” Theodosia snarled, “That  _ darkness _ you treasure so much has destroyed my family!”

“But you can save it! You can save your family and all you have to do is say yes. Give in to the Dark Lord. Give into the darkness.”

“What if I say no?” Theodosia asked somewhat breathlessly.  

The man’s voice turned to stone. “Then there will be consequences.”

“What consequences? I’ve already lost everything.”

The man’s voice turned to stone and got eerily quiet. Harry leaned forward as far as he could to listen without being seen. “You may think you’ve lost everything but you haven’t. You’re family maybe in shatters, but wouldn’t it be worse if they let’s say mysteriously disappeared? What about your little sister? Bad things happen when naive little girls enter the big, bad world.”

“Fuck you!” Theodosia choked off.

“And what about your little boy toy?” the man said with a little chuckle.

“Boy toy? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Harry could practically hear the Death Eater rolling his eyes. “Please. We all know about your little tryst with that pathetic excuse of a pureblood.”

“Oh.  _ Him _ . You can do whatever you want with him. I don’t care if you torture him or not! Hell, I’ll even help you!” Theodosia tried to sound convincing but she was too tense. Harry knew she wasn’t telling the truth, and so did the Death Eater.

“Now, now, now. I think we both know you’re lying. A lot of bad things will happen to him if you do anything stupid. He may be a pureblood, but he’s weak, nothing like the rest of his family. He’s expendable.”

“You wouldn’t dare do anything to one of your own.”

“That’s not how it works. The Dark Lord can do anything to anyone. Even your precious little pet. Can you imagine his expression? When he finds out the reason he’s being tortured is because you didn’t join us? He’ll be devastated.”

“His parents-”

“Will never know the truth. They’ll think their precious little son was tortured, killed, even _violated_ by those filthy muggles. It’ll cause a riot among the purebloods, thinking that one of our own was killed by such filth. The movement will grow, but no one will know what truly happened,” there was a pause before the Death Eater whispered, “Except for your poor little boy toy. He’ll know exactly why he’s being tortured. His last thoughts will be cursing the day he met you. He’ll grow to hate you, to curse your name. We’ll break him body, mind, and soul until there’s _nothing_ _left_. And then we’ll kill him.” 

Theodosia sobbed. “You wouldn’t!”

“Don’t worry, Theodosia. You’ll still have his heart. Only it will be a bit bloodier on your pillow than in his body.”

A hysterical sob escaped Theodosia’s lips. Quiet footsteps made their way down the hall away from the sobbing girl and Harry’s hiding spot. “Decide wisely, BelleRose. I would hate for you to have to explain to his parents how you ended up with his heart.”

Harry listened as the Death Eater walked away. He listened silently as the situation finally hit Theodosia. Furious shrieks filled the air, and Harry hurriedly put up silencing charms so that the noise wouldn’t attract anyone. The shrieks subsided into hiccuping sobs. “Why? Why me?” she whispered to herself.

Harry waited a few moments for her to calm down, knowing she wouldn’t want to be seen in  the middle of an emotional breakdown. He waited until her sobs had turned into quiet hiccups before stepping around the corner.

Theodosia was curled up on the ground, head hung low. Harry carefully walked over to her, making sure she could hear him and didn’t think he was sneaking up on her. Theodosia’s head shot up, and she quickly wiped her eyes.

“He-hey, Hadrian! It’s s-so great to see you! I was afraid you weren’t going to come.”

Hadrian carefully knelt down beside her. “You okay, Theo?”

“Of course! I’m j-just peachy! Why wouldn’t I be?” She said trying to cover up the fact she had been crying.

Harry nervously fiddled with his hands. He hoped what he was about to say didn’t come up to bite him in the ass. “Um, listen, Theodosia. I heard what that guy said to you.”

Her eyes widen and she giggled nervously. “W-what do you mean?”

“I heard that guy threatening you and your family. I just want you to know you don’t have to join him! There are ways to protect your family-”

Theodosia quickly stood up and smoothed out her uniform. “I appreciate the fact that you want to help Hadrian, but I can handle it. Okay?”

Harry winced recognizing that tone of voice. No matter what he would say Theodosia wouldn’t let him help. “Just know I’m here if you need anything.”

Theodosia mumbled something before shaking her head and smiling a fake smile. “So, where are we going to practise?”

Harry forced grinned and stood up. If she wanted to ignore the situation then he would let her. For now. “Don’t worry, you’re going to love it!”

He grabbed her hand and drug her towards the section of wall the Room of Requirement was. “Watch this!”

He began to pace back and forth in front of the wall.  _ We need a place where we can safely practise healing _ -

“What are you doing?”

Harry hushed her and went back to pacing. _ We need a place where we can safely practise healing. We need a place where we can safely practise healing. _ Harry watched Theodosia as she stared in awe as lines etched themselves into the wall forming an intricate design on the large doors. “What...what is this?”

“This is the Room of Requirements,” Harry said as she dramatically opened the door.

Theodosia gasped as she entered the room. Books on healing lined three of the four walls while the fourth wall had shelves and shelves of potions that Harry knew could probably heal almost any ailment. There was a basket of bandages, gauze, and tape by each of the couches and chairs that surrounded the fire. There was even a hospital bed that looked like it belonged in Madame Pomfrey’s hospital wing. Beside the bed was a table that had a small sewing kit and what Harry thought was a few numbing potions.

“This is amazing,” Theodosia exclaimed. She began to scan the shelves of books before she snatched one up. “It even has muggle healing methods! Hadrian, this is amazing! How did you ever find this place?”

Harry shrugged sheepishly. “Ahh, you know, exploring and all that.”

“How do you keep finding these places? First the kitchens, now this! I’ve been going here for years and have never found these places, yet you’ve only been here a week and you have. It’s just not fair!”

“What can I say? I just have a knack for finding things.”

Theodosia pouted. “You should have been a Hufflepuff.”

Harry laughed. “I’ve been told I should have been sorted into many different houses, but I have never been told I should have been sorted into Hufflepuff.”

“Well, you should’ve been,” Theodosia grumbled.

Harry clapped his hands and bounced slightly on his heels. “So what exactly do you know? How far have you gotten into magical healing? Have you learned any muggle remedies at all?”

“Well, I haven’t gotten very far in magical healing. It’s a hard subject to self-teach, you know? And I never even thought about learning muggle healing so I don’t know anything about it.”

Harry nodded slowly and began to plan out what he was going to teach her for the next few meetings. “Okay, so first you need to learn how to create bandages. Have you already learned that?” Theodosia shook her head. “This is how you do it then…” Harry went on to explain the spell and how to perform it, his mind not fully on the task at hand. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop worrying about the conversation he had heard earlier.

Harry hadn’t realized Theodosia was a pureblood. In fact, he hadn’t recognized the BelleRose name at all. Nobody from his time had the BelleRose name nor did anybody speak of the BelleRose family. Harry was beginning to worry about his newly acquired friend. Even if she had changed her maiden name if she got married, the BelleRose name wouldn’t have been lost. All the purebloods kept track of their family tree almost religiously. The fact that he hadn’t even heard of the BelleRose family was worrying, especially when it sounded like they had been a very influential family even more so than the Malfoys. Harry didn’t want to think about why that might be.

It didn’t help that he was also worried about the entire conversation Theodosia had had with the mysterious Death Eater. She and her loved ones were being threatened because she didn’t want to join Voldemort, and Harry wasn’t sure how he could help without her letting him. She seemed determined to do this on her own and Harry knew how this would end. After all, he had seen Draco try to do the same thing only to eventually crumble to the Dark Lord’s will. Harry just hoped she would let him help eventually, in the meantime he would teach her what he knew about healing and hope she would never have to use any of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? I know it was shorter than usual and I'm sorry for that, but hopefully it was interesting enough to make up for it. What do you think of Theo's situation? Is it going to end in disaster or is Harry going to save the day? Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for reading and (hopefully) commenting! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	14. Brotherly Love at its Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry hears a whispered conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I'm so, so sorry for such a late update! My computer has gone to shit and I was forced to write the chapter on paper then try to type it. Let's just say it was a mess. Anyway, school starts tomorrow for me, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to more regular updates again. I hope you like this chapter, although I have to apologize, it's shorter than I like. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!

Harry felt like banging his head against his desk. Or a wall. Or even a running chainsaw. That would end his suffering, right? Surely, he wouldn’t have to deal with everything going on  in his life if he was dead or had a concussion.

Harry gave into temptation and let his head thump down on his desk, ignoring how the sound caused everyone in the classroom to look at him strangely. He didn’t care. They were already talking about him. Why not give them something else to talk about?

A few weeks had passed since Harry’s and Theodosia’s healing session and already, he was extremely worried about her. He had been looking out for her, ( _not_ stalking) and he was becoming more and more worried about her each day. He knew she had been scared when she had first been threatened, but every time he had seen her since then, she had looked pale and almost sickly. Her eyes would flicker around the room, searching either for enemies or exits. Harry was beginning to think she had been threatened again for her to be this paranoid. It didn’t help that she seemed to be avoiding him. Whenever she saw him she would try to sneak off without him noticing or if he had already seen her, she would give a hesitant wave or smile before disappearing for hours to someplace he couldn’t find.

Harry’s worries about Theo weren’t the only thing troubling him, though. Things had gotten...awkward since the day his parents confronted him (He was calling that day Armageddon in his head. After all, it had basically screwed up everything, and Harry had a sinking feeling that everything was going to fall apart, in the end, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he could turn this around.). His mum had been giving him the cold shoulder since their conversation. The only time she spoke to him was when he directed a question at her, and then the answer was usually only one word. It was affecting his friendship with the rest of the group. None of the girls knew what exactly had gone down between Harry and Lily, but they had decided to take the side of their oldest friend rather than the strange newcomer. They thought if Lily was mad at him, she must have a good reason to be. The group had followed Lily’s lead and were doing their best to ignore him until he had Lily’s forgiveness. Gwen was the only one who even remotely acknowledged him willing, but that was only to give him a sad smile and a nod in Lily’s direction. That didn’t help him at all.

Harry’s relationship with the Marauders had also become weirder than normal as well. He knew they had hated him for intruding into their group during their last year, but now they were just acting strangely. Harry could understand the sneers and insults thrown at him, but he wasn’t sure how to handle silent, moody Marauders. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the spells he had put on them. They shouldn’t have. The spells were only supposed to affect their memories, not their emotions. Every time he entered the same room as them, they would get eerily silent and glare at him like their lives depended on it, but other than that, they did nothing. They didn’t insult him anymore. In fact, they didn’t even talk to him at all. The Marauders had taken a leaf out of Theodosia’s book and had started doing everything in their power to avoid him. He was really feeling the love these days.

It was times like these that Harry really missed _his_ parents and Marauders. He missed the parents who were willing to give their lives for him. Over the years, he had built up an image of them in his mind. Harry had known his parents wouldn’t fit exactly into the mold he had created for them, he had known ever since he had seen Snape’s memories of his father bullying him, but Harry had hoped things would be different for _him_. He wanted to spend nights talking with his mum and creating pranks with his dad. He should have known that’s not how it would work out for him. Now both his parents were giving him the cold shoulder and the only other two people he considered family seemed to hate him. After all, nothing ever works out right for Harry freaking Potter.

What hurt the most was the fact that Sirius and Remus were going along with the whole thing. Yes, he had expected it; Sirius and Remus would follow his father to the ends of the earth if they had to, but it still hurt. It was completely irrational. They didn’t even know him. They didn’t have the memories that he did. Merlin, Harry had adored them. They were the only people who hadn’t turned on him. They were part of the family he built for himself, the family that Voldemort had burnt to the ground. Harry had come all this way to save his family, but he had forgotten that the people he was trying to save weren’t his family yet. It was slowly killing him, being so close to the people he loved the most, but not having them care for him at all.

“Is my lesson boring you, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin?”

Harry jerked and almost fell out of his seat, causing the class to burst into quiet giggles before they were silenced by McGonagall’s glare. “Would you like to explain why you were sleeping in my class, Emrys-Slytherin?”

Harry winced. He knew that tone. That tone always led to a scolding or a detention. “Sorry, Professor,” Harry said, “But I wasn’t sleeping; I swear. I just have a really bad headache.”

McGonagall cocked an eyebrow at him. “You shouldn’t let such maladies interfere with your work, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin. Get back to work.”

Harry nodded resolutely before she turned and headed to the front of the class again.   

That...had turned out better than expected. He thought she would at least scold him or give him a detention. She hadn’t been afraid to do that in his time. Harry shrugged before going back to practising the spell they were supposed to learn for exams, ignoring the fact that he had learned it years ago.

  The bell rang and everyone began to pack up. “Stay behind, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin,” McGonagall called over the students’ chattering. Harry winced again. He should have known it was too good to be true. Harry trudged to the front of the classroom, ignoring how the other students snickered behind his back.

McGonagall waited silently until all the students were gone before speaking. “I’ve noticed some odd things about you. Would you like to explain what exactly is going on?”

Harry froze. Surely she didn’t know he wasn’t who he was claiming to be. “What are you talking about, Professor?”

“I’m beginning to worry about you, Hadrian,” McGonagall began, “You don’t seem to be… settling into Hogwarts even though you have been here a little over a month.”

“I’m settling in! I’m settling in plenty! This is me―settled in,” Harry said awkwardly.

McGonagall shook her head. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but you don’t seem to be making any friends. You’re not in any extracurriculars nor are you interacting with students in any other house. The other professors and I are beginning to worry that you’re using your schoolwork as a way to avoid interacting with others.”

“What? I have friends! I’m friends with Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Gwen,” Harry stated.

McGonagall cocked an eyebrow at him. “Really?  Because they don’t seem all that accepting of you recently. In fact, I seem to recall a certain event where Ms. Evans threatened to throw her shoe at you before stalking out of the room.”

Harry winced. He remembered that. It had only been a few hours after Lily had confronted him about his lying. Harry had tried to convince his mother at dinner that he hadn’t been lying to her. Lily hadn’t taken it so well. Let’s just say, it was a good thing McGonagall had only heard the threat about the shoe.

“We got into a little disagreement. We haven’t exactly worked it out yet.”

“I see,” Harry could see the doubt in her eyes, “Either way, I would still like it if you would make friends in other houses. May I suggest a study group? It’s the perfect way to make new acquaintances as well as maintain your grades.”

“Sure,” Harry said, knowing very well that he wouldn’t.

A certain gleam entered her eyes. Harry doubted she actually believed him. He motioned to the door. “I probably should go…”

McGonagall nodded, but she stopped him as he was making his way towards the door. “Promise me one thing.”

“That depends on what it is.”

“Try out for the quidditch team.”

Harry couldn’t stop the small laugh from escaping his lips. “Try out for the quidditch team? That’s an odd request.”

McGonagall glared at him. “The seeker for the Gryffindor team graduated last year. You have the right build and your reflexes are impeccable,” McGonagall gave him a small grin. “Plus I can’t bear the thought of losing the trophy to Slughorn. He was so smug last year even though he won on a technicality. That was the first time in five years that we’ve lost the trophy. I don’t want a repeat.”

Harry chuckled. At least Professor McGonagall never changed. She’d always had a competitive streak a mile wide. “I’ll try out for the quidditch team. But that doesn’t mean I’ll make the team. After all, James pretty much hates my guts, and he’s the captain.”

“He wouldn’t put his pride over the team,” Her eyes narrowed. “And if he does, then we obviously need to have a word about what it means to be a good team captain.”

Harry grinned. She had a point, and it would be nice to get up in the air again. He nodded slightly. It was decided. He would try out for the team even though he doubted the Marauders would ever let him join.

“I suppose you’re right.” Harry glanced at his watch. “Sorry, professor, but I have to go. I have a potions essay due tomorrow that I’m not even _close_ to finishing. I can’t afford to turn it in late; Slughorn hates me already.”

McGonagall hummed. “I doubt he hates you, Mr. Emrys-Slytherin, but I’m sure his current _dislike_ of you is because you skipped the first class you had with him.”

Harry winced. “You heard about that?”

“Of course. I always know what kind of trouble my lions get into. Now, I believe you have a potions essay to write?”

Harry knew a dismissal when he heard one. With a small wave, he was out the door and heading towards the library.

  He grinned to himself as he wandered down the halls. At least some things never changed. McGonagall had always been one of his favorite teachers (The only teachers he above her Remus and fake-Moody, but she had always been the most reliable and consistent teacher.). Harry held so much respect for the former (soon to be?) headmistress. She had been the strength the castle needed during Voldemort’s reign. She trusted the students and told them what was actually going on instead of playing God like Dumbledore. She had done the best she could to protect the students of Hogwarts in the worst of circumstances. Her incredible strength came into play during the Final Battle. McGonagall had done everything she could to protect her students only to watch the children she had fought so hard to protect die on the battlefield. Instead of destroying her, it only pushed her to fight harder. She only cried once during the entire battle. Harry had seen a single tear fall when Voldemort had drug Harry’s supposedly dead body to Hogwarts and announced that the Boy-Who-Lived was dead.

Harry shook his head. It was never good to dwell on old memories. They always led to more painful ones.

He quickly ducked into the library before he could start remembering anything...unsavory. Thankfully, it was mostly empty with only a few first in second years in it. He truly did have a potions essay to finish. It was on Amortentia of all things. He was expected to write five feet all on the magical version of a roofie.

Grumbling, Harry began to yank down all the books he could find on the love potion. He needed this essay to be perfect in order to get back on Slughorn's good side. The Head of Slytherin was a very good person to have as an ally, no matter how annoying his parties were.

Harry spread out his books on the table and began to work. The hours ticked by, and people trickled in and out of the  library. Harry didn't notice, though. All he was focused on were the words on the papers and the quiet scratching of his quill.

A loud thud interrupted his work. Harry glanced around in shock. When had it gotten so dark? He looked at his watch and winced. It was nine thirty, thirty minutes until curfew. Library was empty; Madame Pince was even gone.

Suddenly, he heard furious whispers behind one of the bookshelves. Maybe he wasn't as alone as he had thought.

Harry carefully stood up and slipped closer to the whispered conversation, his curiosity getting the best of him. He peered between the books and blinked in shock. It was Sirius and Regulus hiding between the bookshelves having a whispered argument from the sounds of it.

“Sirius, please-”

The Gryffindor snarled. “No, Regulus! I’m not going back to that hell hole! I don’t care how much Father bribed you to try to convince me to come back, but I’m not going back!”

“You are the Heir Black! If you don’t come back, Mum will disown you!”

“I don’t care!” Sirius growled, throwing up his hands. “I don’t want to be a part of a family that believes in all that pureblood superiority bullshit!”

“I don’t care if you believe in it or not! You don't have to! We just want you to come home!”

Sirius snorted. “Yeah, right. Like Mum will even let me in the house since I've been ‘tainted’ by the Light side.” He glances down at his younger brother. “How ‘bout you? She already planning your initiation to the Corpse Chompers?”

Regulus huffed, realizing he wasn't going to be able to convince his brother. “Why should you care? After all, you evidently want _nothing_ to do with our family.”

Sirius’ face hardened. “Well, _excuse me_ for actually caring for somebody in my family. I won't do it again.”

“Screw you, Sirius! We all know you don't actually care for anyone other than you and your idiotic friends!”

Sirius looked affronted. “I do too!”

“Oh, come on!” Regulus snarled, “Why else would you drop me like a lead balloon when the hat put me in Slytherin?”

Sirius silently mouthed the words ‘drop me like a lead balloon’ to himself in confusion before replying. “I didn't stop hanging out with you because you were placed in Slytherin! I stopped hanging out with you because the only reason you were sorted into Slytherin was because that was what Mummy and Daddy wanted! You have been following their orders since day one! That's why I stopped hanging out with you.”

“Well, not all of us can be the black sheep of the family. Some of us actually have to deal with the fucking consequences.” Harry could see his mask cracking, although he doubted Sirius did.

“What consequences?” The Gryffindor snarled, “You're the goody little two-shoes of the family. You never did _anything_ that would create consequences whereas I actually tried to stand up to them! Do you know what the consequences were for sticking up for my friends? A three minute Crucio delivered from my oh so loving mother!”

“I know she was hard on you, but you should have known better! You know how she gets!”

“I shouldn’t have to know! I shouldn’t have to worry about being Crucioed for hanging out with my friends!”

Regulus scoffed. “She has her reasons, you know! You have gotten worse and worse ever since you became friends with them! Do you realize what you are doing? You are dragging the Black name through the mud by bullying or should I say ‘pranking’ pureblood heirs! Do you know how many lawsuits Dad has had to deal with in the past two years?”

“Those arses deserved everything we throw at them! They were attacking Remus!”

“Well, try telling that to Mum. She thinks you’re just attacking students at random.”

“We don’t attack people,” Sirius said quietly, “We prank them. And it’s only people who deserve it! Karma of sorts, if you will.”

“Oh, yeah?” Regulus said incredulously, “What about what you did to Severus last year? I don’t know what happened, but I know it sure as hell wasn’t a prank.”

Sirius flinched. “That was a _mistake_. A mistake that I took full responsibility for.”

“Yeah because it was _your_ fault!”

Sirius throw his hands in the air “Fuck you, Regulus! I actually tried to fix that! Hell, I even _apologized_ to Snape! This is why I hate being around our family! You guys don’t let shite lie. I try to apologize; I try to fix my mistakes, but _noooo_! You have to dangle it over my head no matter how much good I do!”

“They just want you to learn from your mistakes!” Regulus cried out.

Sirius’ face hardened. “Well, I have. I’m never going to make the mistake of returning to that house ever again. I am _not_ going to let them control me. Tell the family to kiss my arse.”

With those final words, Sirius turned on his heels and stalked out of the empty library. Regulus waited until he was sure his brother was gone before letting out a shriek as he grabbed a book from the shelf and flung it across the room. He was breathing hard and looked like he was about to cry.

“Dammit, Siri,” He mumbled as he pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to stop the tears from welling up. “Why can’t you just come _home!_ You’re not the only one dealing with fucking consequences. I _need_ you there!”

Harry carefully backed away from his vantage point. Regulus needed his space, and both brothers would kill him if Regulus caught him. Too much private information had been split for them to actually let him live. They would make his life hell.

He began to silently pack up, putting his papers in his bag and the books away. As he was putting the last book away, it scraped slightly on the shelf, causing him to freeze.

“Who's there?!” Regulus called out.

Harry quickly cast a disillusion charm over him and his bag.

“I know you’re there! Come out before I hex you!”

When Harry didn’t answer Regulus began searching the aisles of the library. Harry smirked when an idea came to his mind. Carefully, he pulled out a quill and silently transfigured it into a mouse before setting it on the floor. The poor beast ran away from Harry emitting shrill squeaks as it tried to find a means of escape. He heard Regulus jump before cursing.

“Filthy beast! Ruining the books, I swear…” The Slytherin grumbled as he stopped his search, thinking the sound had been created by the mouse. The boy quickly slammed his books into his bag before stalking out of the library much like his brother.

Harry let out a sigh of relief when he left. He didn’t want to know what would happen if Regulus had caught him. After everything, the two boys had said...it would not be pretty if they ever found out he had been eavesdropping.

Harry worried his lip between his teeth, thinking back to the conversation. He could understand both sides, really. Sirius didn’t want to go back to his bitch of a mother, and Regulus, Regulus just wanted his brother back. It was a very bad situation.

He ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t realized things had been so bad for Sirius. He had never mentioned to Harry that his relationship with his parents had been so horrible that visiting a friend warranted a Crucio. He couldn’t help but be worried for both Regulus and Sirius. What if Walburga transferred her fury about Siri’s actions to Regulus since she had nobody else to take it out on?

Harry shook his head. Surely, not. Her portrait had wanted him to come back so he could save her family, surely she hadn’t _abused_ her children, not if she cared so much about them.He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to think about this some more. But it was obvious that there was a lot more to his godfather and his relationship with his family than Harry knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's a short chapter! I know you wanted a longer one after such a long wait, but I have the next chapter partly written out and it will be longer I promise! I hope this chapter doesn't seem off. I kinda needed it to set up for my next chapter. Anyway, tell me what you think down below! And thank you for sticking with me even though I haven't updated in so long!


	15. Quidditch is a Deadly Sport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry tries out for the Quidditch team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing else to say but I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took me this long to post this chapter. I've been trying to apply to colleges and let's just say it's not working out as well as I hoped. If it makes you guys feel any better, I stopped doing chem. and french in order to post this. Sorry for it being so late.

Harry bounced into the common room with a bright smile on his face. He felt like he was buzzing with energy. Nothing was going to bring him down today. Nothing. Quidditch tryouts started in two hours, and he couldn’t be more excited to be on a broom again. A half dreamy smile flickered over his face at the mere thought of being back in the air again.

“What’s got you all excited?” A voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to see Gwen curled up on the couch, a book in her lap. He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’m surprised you’re talking to me.”

She winced. “That is through no fault of my own! I don’t know what you did to Lily, but she is  _ thoroughly _ pissed.”

“She has a right to be,” Harry mumbled to himself.

Gwen either didn’t hear him or choose to ignore his words. “You still haven’t told me what’s got you excited today.”

Harry grinned. “Quidditch tryouts are today, Gwen! I’m finally going to be back in the air! The wind in my face, soaring through the sky…” Harry trailed off with a dreamy look on his face. 

Gwen giggled at his excitement before sobering a bit. “But… what if you don’t make the team.”

“It’s not about making the team,” Harry said quietly, “It’s about flying. It’s about doing what I love.”

“Of course. You should do what you enjoy.” Gwen smiled softly before tilting her head. “I didn’t know you could fly, though. I didn’t even know you owned a broom.”

Harry froze.

“You do own a broom, don’t you, Hadrian?”

Harry gave a sheepish grin. To be honest, he had completely forgot about the broom part. He had never had to worry about having a broom before; he had always had one. And it would not be a good idea to bring out the Firebolt he had locked up in his trunk. He already had too many people suspicious of him. Flying out on a broom decades before its time would be very, very bad for him.

Gwen sighed. “How did you expect to try out if you don’t own a broom?!”

I kinda...forgot.”

“How can you forget!”

“Well, I  _ have  _ a broom. I just forgot that it was broken.”

Gwen gaped at him. “Broken! How can you break a broom?”

“I pushed it a bit too hard. It couldn’t go the speed I wanted it to.”

“What are you going to do now? Tryouts are in an hour. You can’t order a new broom in time.”

“I’m not sure,” Harry mumbled.

Gwen stared at him for a moment before sighing. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” she muttered to herself before saying to Harry, “I may know someone who could help you.”

Harry looked at her hopefully. “Really?”

She stood up and nodded. “Come on. You’re going to have to do a lot of groveling.”

Gwen led him to the stairway going up to the girls’ dormitory. She placed her hand on one of the stones, whispered a few words then motioned for him to follow. She walked into the seventh year dorm and called out, “We need your help, Alice.”

Harry entered the room to see Alice changing out of her uniform. “Woah! What the fuck, Gwen!? You can’t just bring up guys without telling us!” Alice hurriedly pulled on her shirt before glaring at Harry. “Especially him.”

Gwen sighed. “Come on, Alice! You know he’s not a bad guy! Just help him out a bit, that’s all I’m asking.”

“No, no, no! I am not helping him out! Lily would have my ass!”

“Alice, please. Do this as a personal favour for me.”

Harry started. “Gwen, no. It’s fine. You don’t have to call in a favor with your friend. I can figure things out on my own.”

Gwen stomped her foot. “No! I am sick and tired of all this fighting! Everyone has been on edge for the past few weeks now, and I hate it! I hate this fighting!” She turned to Alice. “And maybe if we take the first step, then we can end all of it. Lily obviously won’t let Harry take the first step, so we have to make it for her!”

Alice glanced between Harry and Gwen before huffing. “You’re right.” She glared at Harry. “But that doesn’t mean you’re entirely forgiven. Now, what do you want? And know that I’m not gonna jump through hoops for you.”

“He needs to borrow your old broom,” Gwen cut in before he could say anything.

“But, Gwen!”

“No, buts! You have an extra broom, and he needs it!”

Harry glanced uneasily between the two. “Look, it’s fine if you don’t want to let me borrow it. I understand. I’ll just ask someone else.”

“It’s not that,” Alice grumbled. “It’s just that my parents bought me a new broom over the summer since it was my last year, but Frank didn’t know about it so  _ he _ bought me a broom for my birthday.”

“Ok…”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Her problem is that Frank couldn’t afford the newest broom. He spent the summer working for just enough money for the second best broom on the market since his parents wouldn’t let him spend part of his inheritance on his girlfriend whereas her parents got her the newest broom on the market.”

“I still don’t see the problem…”

“Idiot,” Alice grumbled before explaining. “You see, I can’t go out on the broom my parents got me or else it’ll look like I’m snubbing Frank, but if I go out on the broom he gave me, I’ll be on the same playing field as everyone else. I would have the advantage if I went out on the new broom.”

“Well, it seems to me that you have to decided which is more important to you, quidditch or your boyfriend,” Harry said carefully.

“Oh.” Alice looked surprised. “I never thought of it like that.”

Harry shrugged. “I have my moments.”

Alice looked at him hesitantly for a moment before going to her trunk and pulling out two shrunken brooms. One was a polished chestnut brown broom and the other was a sleek amber colored broom. Her hands clenched the brooms tightly, her knuckles turning white. Suddenly she thrust one of her hands out and looked away from the broom.

“Here. Take it and leave.”

Harry gingerly pulled the amber broom from her clenched hand. “Thanks, Alice. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s a Starshooter 9000; you better appreciate it. Now go before I change my mind.”

Gwen smiled at the sullen girl and stood up on tiptoes to kiss her cheek. “Thanks, Alice. This means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Alice mumbled looking somewhat embarrassed. “Now I really do have to get ready for tryouts.”

She glanced over at Harry. “ And you do too. I’m assuming you want to try out with the rest of us, right?” Harry nodded. “Just a small tip, do whatever the fuck Potter says. I don’t care if he tells you to chase the tail of your broom like a dog; just do it. There’s always a reason for his madness, and it’ll just piss him off if you don’t listen to him.”

Harry cocked an eyebrow when he heard that tidbit of information about his father. “I thought you weren’t going to do anything to help me besides lend me a broom?”

“I’m not. I’m just trying to make sure the practice runs as smoothly as possible. It will be hell on earth if you get Potter in a mood just because you do something stupid like questioning his ability to be the captain.”

Harry nodded with a small grin. It sounded like his father was as bad as Wood when it came to quidditch. “I’ll make sure not to do anything stupid then.”

There was an awkward moment of silence as Alice stared at them expectantly. “Well? GO!” 

Harry and Gwen were quickly pushed out of the dorm room before Alice slammed the door behind them. Harry glanced at Gwen slightly unnerved, but the girl merely shrugged. “It’s try out day. Everyone’s freaking out.”

Harry smiled softly and motioned to the broom in his hand. “Thank you for this, again. I really appreciate it.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Just do well in tryouts, okay? Don’t make this all for nothing.”

Harry chuckled. “Well if I’m going to do that, I should go practice. Will I be seeing you out in the stands?”

“Why, of course!” Gwen said playful, “But I won’t be there for you.”

Harry gasped and clutched at his chest dramatically. “You wound me so, Guinevere! I thought you cared!”

Gwen giggled. “I care about my friends, and as much as I hate it, you’re still on their bad list. Get off it, and I’ll be able to be there for you.”

Her words drug him back to reality. He couldn’t really be friends with her until he found a way to get back on Lily’s good side. “Well, I guess I’m just gonna have to convince Lily I’m not all bad aren’t I?”

“Do that and I’ll be at every one of your games. I promise.”

“Well, I better make sure I get on the team then,” Harry replied with an easy smile before loping down the stairs.

Her voice called after him as he exited the portrait hole, bringing a smile to his face. “Good luck, Hadrian!”

Harry quickly made his way to the Quidditch pitch. Now that he had a broom, he was hoping everything would work out okay. Even if he didn’t make the team, (which was a strong possibility since the Marauders hated his guts) he would still get to fly.

He got to the Quidditch field about fifteen minutes early. Some Gryffindors had already arrived, and they were either congregating in small groups or had split off to do practise drills in the air. Harry glanced around the field, but he didn’t see any of the Marauders or anyone else he knew for that matter. With a shrug, he mounted his broom and took to the air. He needed to get used to the new broom before he tried out, anyway.

 A loud laugh escaped him as soon as he was high in the air. This was exactly what he needed. A grin spread across his face slowly. “Time to see what this broom can do!”

With those words, Harry pulled the broom up into a steep climb. He went up, up, up until the people looked like ants below him and his hands started stinging from the cold wind. Suddenly, he yanked the broom out of its climb and forced it into such a steep dive that he was flying vertical to the ground. It took all the strength in his legs and arms to keep him from falling off the Starshooter, but it was worth it. The wind howled as the ground seemed to grow larger and larger until all he could see was the expanse of green grass. At the last moment, before he collided with the ground, Harry pulled it out of the dive, making a mental note of how the broom shuddered at the abuse. He then did a series of rolls, loops, and drills as fast as he could in order to get a feel for the different broom before switching to his regular routine before a practice or game.

“OI! YOU BY THE HOOPS!” Harry paused in his flight. He was the only one even near the quidditch hoops. “YES, YOU! GET DOWN HERE NOW OR YOU WON’T GET TO TRYOUT!”

Harry immediately turned tail and flew back to the group of people on the ground. As he got closer, he realized it must have been either James or Sirius who had yelled at him. They were standing at the very front of the group of nervous students, staring up at him expectantly. He watched as their faces turned from excited curiosity to frustrated anger when they realized who exactly had been flying so well. Sheepishly, Harry landed in front of them, running a hand through his hair out of nervous habit. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Sirius looked as if he was fighting back a sneer, but James simply rolled his eyes. “Back of the line, Slytherin. You can show off  _ then. _ ”

Harry nodded and hurried to the back of the group, trying to ignore how a few of the younger years were staring at him in awe.

“All right you lot!” James called out, “I’m going to split you up into four groups! Keepers first, Chasers second, Beaters third, and Seekers fourth. Now get into your groups!”

The Gryffindors scrambled to comply, each trying to get to whichever group they were in. All except for one fourth year. He hesitantly raised his hand and tried to get James’ attention. Sirius noticed him first. “You there! What do you want?”

“Um, what if you want to try out for two different positions? I’d like to be a Chaser, but I know I probably won’t make it but I’m also a pretty good Keeper so….”

James looked at him appraisingly. “Chasers will be trying out first then Keepers, Beaters, and Seekers. If you don’t make Chasers, you can try out for Keeper.” James turned his attention to the rest of the group. “That goes for all of you!”  
The boy nodded and scurried off to the group of wannabe Chasers. “All right, Chasers! Sirius will lead you through some warm up drills to check your speed and mobility. Then you’ll have a practise match where Savanah and Samuel,” James nodded over to two sixth years in the Keeper who looked as if they were twins. Harry assumed they were the team’s Keeper and backup Keeper last year. “Will be guarding the hoops.”

“Me, Sirius, and Remus,” James pointed up to the stands where Harry saw two small figures sitting at the very top of the stands. Harry raised an eyebrow at that. The figures were surely Remus and the  _ rat _ , but why wasn’t Pettigrew helping? “Will be watching you lot. You’ll be graded on your skills, teamwork, and attitude. If you are bad at one of these but good at the other two, we will take that into consideration. I wish the best of luck to all of you.”

The group nodded uneasily before taking to the air. Harry carefully assessed the people in the air. It was obvious who had been on the team before. They effortlessly followed Sirius’ lead and seemed to predict each other’s moves. He could also see a few hidden gems, though, who had the potential to be better than some of the old members. All they would need was a bit of critiquing and practice and they would be quite the team. Harry just wondered if James would see it or stick with the old members.

Harry glanced up at the stands where could see the Marauders huddled together surely debating who to keep and who to cut. Suddenly, he heard a faint whistle from the stands and a call to land. The group of Chasers landed, huddling together and nervously glancing at each other. The tension rose during the few minutes that it took for James and Sirius to get down from the stands. It reached its peak when they finally reached the group.

“We have made our decisions,” James said as he pulled at a muggle clipboard. Harry couldn’t help but wonder where he got it from. “This year's Chasers will be Alice,” Harry saw her grin with relief. “Henry,” The fifth year boy whom Harry thought had the most potential visibly had to force himself from jumping up and down. “And me.” Nobody  contested the fact that he hadn’t tried out.

“What?!?” a sixth year boy with shocking blond hair called out in shock. Harry looked at him appraisingly. The boy was the other Chaser Harry had guessed had been on the team. Evidently, he was not pleased with the change in hierarchy.

James glared at him before continuing. “Kathleena, Dennis, and  _ Chris, _ ” James put extra emphasis on the boy’s name as he glared at him. “You will be on the backup team unless you want to try out for another position. Does anybody want to change?”

The three hesitantly shook their heads, Chris more out of anger than the others. 

“All right then! Next up are Keepers!”

And so it went on for the next forty-five minutes. A group would do drills for several minutes before James and Sirius would come down to announce the people who made the cut.  The crowd began to weed itself out leaving only the small group of hopeful Seekers and the people who made the cut. The shy fourth year who had dared to ask James a question at the beginning of tryouts made Keeper much to his excitement, and Sirius and Marlene made Beaters. Now all that were left was a mismatched group of  four Seekers. Besides Harry, there was a tiny third year girl that had an air of determination around her, a stocky fifth year boy who seemed extremely cocky for someone with the wrong build for a seeker, and a silent, slender sixth year boy. Harry had a feeling that he would be the one he would have to look out for.

“All right, so next up are Seekers! You guys are going to be doing a mini game between the four of you. I’m going to be releasing fifteen snitches into the air for you to catch.” Sirius began to hand out bags to each of the Seekers. “You should attach these to your brooms. Once you’ve caught a snitch you can put it in the bag. You will be graded on your speed, attitude, and the amount of balls you catch. Good luck.” With that, James opened the small box of snitches and watched as they scattered. He waited a few minutes before ordering them to mount their brooms. “Three…two…one...GO!”

Harry immediately took to the sky, ignoring the other Seekers and going to his favorite spot on the pitch where he believed he had the best vantage point.He began scanning the field for any tiny glimpse of gold. The first year (Jenna?) and the cocky kid were flitting about the field seeming to chase every flicker of light they saw. The other boy, though, he was sitting stock still in the middle of the field. Harry was right. This was the one he would have to look out for.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately turned his broom and chased after the snitch. The Starshooter was slower than what he was used to, but it was slowly gaining on the offending snitch. The snitch zigged and zagged before finally zooming up in a sharp incline. Harry followed in suit slowly but surely inching towards it. With a final burst of speed, Harry snatched the snitch out of the air. One down.

He turned back and headed back to the pitch. Jenna and the boy he didn’t like were still flitting about the pitch like before, but the silent boy had moved positions. Harry’s eyes narrowed. His bag had been moved too; he must have caught a snitch as well. Harry growled in frustration. It was time to step it up.

In the next few minutes, Harry caught not one, not two, not three but  _ four _ snitches. Harry grinned victoriously. Now if he could only catch one more, he would win. Suddenly, he saw a flicker of gold. He turned to face it before freezing. A snitch was flitting around behind the silent boy’s head. If Harry rushed after it, the boy would notice it and reach the snitch before Harry could even hope to catch it. Harry slowly began to float closer and closer to the other boy, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible. He edged as close to the boy as he could before he yanked his broom around and went after the snitch. The other boy shouted in surprise as Harry rushed past him, almost knocking him off his broom. The boy immediately chased after him, but Harry ignored him, focusing entirely on the snitch before him.

The snitch moved erratically, trying to throw the boys of its trail. The two Seekers soon caught the attention of the younger Seekers, and they joined the chase as well. The snitch suddenly pulled up into a steep, almost vertical incline causing the Seekers to follow. Harry inched forward until he had almost caught when it dropped and started heading towards the ground. Harry turned his broom sharply, ignoring the shrill shrieks of the younger years as he barreled past them. The silent boy had been smart enough to get out of his way.

 The snitch continued in its steep dive heading straight for the ground. Quickly they got closer and closer to the ground. As the ground rushed towards them, Harry could feel the other Seekers getting tense. The silent boy drew closer to Harry until they were almost neck and neck. Finally, it became too much for the younger Seekers and they pulled back. It was only him and the other boy now.

Harry slowly inched closer to the snitch until finally, he could almost touch it. The ground was getting dangerously close. A few more seconds and it would be too late, and he would crash into the ground. The other boy came to his senses and pulled away from the chase before he crashed into the ground, but Harry pushed a bit further until he snatched the snitch out of the air. He hurriedly tried to pull the broom up, but it was weaker than his own and shuddered violently at the extreme pull on its magic. He was barely able to pull it horizontal to the ground so he didn’t crash before tumbling softly onto the grass, the broom landing beside him. Harry stared up at the sky in a daze before laughing.

A sharp whistle sounded from the stands signaling for the rest of the Seekers to land. Harry ignored the resounding thuds and continued to lay on the ground. Suddenly a shadow appeared over him. Harry blinked and turned towards the offending figure.

“That was a good bit of flying you did up there, Emrys.”

Harry grinned up at the boy who had evidently broken his vow of silence. “Thanks! You flew really well too.” He paused cocking his head. “What’s your name?”

The boy smiled a small smile. “Michael. My name's Michael.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Michael.”

Harry was about to continue when he was stopped by a frustrated voice. “A-hem.”

Harry almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a male version of Umbridge. He twisted onto his stomach to see who had interrupted. James and Sirius were standing in front of him. He could immediately tell who had interrupted. While James was looking down at him with a somewhat professional look on his face, Sirius was seething. 

James looked at the seekers expectantly. “Give me and Sirius your bags and we’ll start counting the snitches.”

The Seekers scrambled to untie their bags from their brooms before handing them to James. The snitch in Harry’s hand fluttered weakly as he shoved it into his bag and handed it to James. Once he had all the bags, James divided them between Sirius and himself. The Seekers waited anxiously as they counted. Eventually, the two finished counting and Sirius returned his two bags and whispered the numbers to James. James nodded and turned back to the seekers.

“We’ve counted the snitches. Emrys-Slytherin came in the lead with five snitches.” Harry grinned. “Michael came in second with four snitches. Jenna and Zack,” So,  _ that’s  _ what the cocky kid’s name was! “Tied for third with three balls each.”

Harry smiled happily. He had made the team! Maybe he would be able to convince the Marauders he wasn’t all bad. Since he was on the team-- “Don’t rejoice yet, though,” James said as he looked down at his clipboard. “Slytherin and Michael tied for the spot of Seeker.”

Harry’s heart immediately fell. So, that’s how they were going to play it. Michael looked over at Harry in confusion at the announcement before turning to James. “Um, how are we tied? Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate the second chance, but Emrys is clearly the better flier  _ and  _ he caught more snitches, so I’m not quite sure how we tied.”

James opened his mouth to answer but Sirius cut in. “We’re not sure he has the right... _ temperament  _ for the position.”

James glared at Sirius before taking control of the conversation once more. “We’ll be putting the two of you through a series of tests. Whoever does the best will get the position and the other will be the backup. Understood?”

The two nodded. “Okay, then…” James glanced down at his clipboard, although it seemed like he was trying to avoid the situation rather that looking at whatever was written on it. “The test will be...defense. How well will each of you handle the other team if they start to specifically target you.”

Harry tensed. He did not like where this was going. If it was any other people, Harry wouldn’t have thought twice about this (After all, Oliver had made them do worse things in the name of winning), but these were people who didn’t like him no matter how much he wanted them to.

James paused for a moment before continuing. “I’ll release one snitch in the air and you’ll have to catch it while Chris and...Sirius try to block you.” Chris, the chaser who had been cut from the starting line up, perked up and got a violent look in his eyes. “The two of you won’t be judged by how fast you catch the snitch, but by how you handle the defense.”

Harry and Michael nodded nervously before mounting their brooms. James released the snitch and blew his whistle. The four quidditch players immediately took to the air, Michael and Harry splitting apart to separate ends of the field. Harry winced when he saw Sirius make a beeline for him.

He immediately flew as high as he could, trying to get some altitude, but Sirius was hot on his tail. He went through a series of loops and turns, but Sirius was steadily gaining. Harry tried to make a sharp turn when suddenly, something slammed into the back of his broom, putting him into a tailspin. It took all the strength he had to pull it out of its insane spin just in time to see Sirius dive after him. Harry squeaked (although he would never admit it) and went into a steep dive in order to escape the beater. He flew as close to the ground as he dared in hopes of getting Sirius to back off a bit before snapping his broom up and spreading to the stands. When he turned back to see how far away Sirius was, the beater had disappeared completely.

Harry looped around the stands, making sure to keep an eye out for the snitch and Sirius at the same time. He shook his head. This would never work. He would never get the chance to look for the snitch if he constantly had to be worrying about getting knocked off his broom. A flash of movement caught his eyes and Harry turned to see Michael do series of complicated spins and rolls while trying to get rid of Chris. Harry smiled. At least he wasn't the only one struggling.

Suddenly, he saw a flicker of gold out of the corner of his eye. Harry immediately turned his broom and took after it. It was better to end this test sooner rather than later. He trailed the snitch around the field, not noticing the second shadow he had gained. Harry was just about to reach out for the snitch when something slammed into him from above. Harry’s broom dropped several feet before he could pull it back up.

Harry growled and glanced up at what hit him. Sirius smirked down at him with a pleased look on his. Shaking his head, Harry decided to ignore him for now and go after the snitch. The sooner he caught the snitch the sooner this whole game would end. Harry shot after the snitch and followed it when it went into a steep incline. Harry flew up, up, up until the people on the field below him looked like ants and the air got cold. Slowly but surely, he gained on the snitch until he could reach out and snatch it out of the air.

Just as his hand grabbed the snitch, Sirius slammed into the back of his broom as hard as he could sending Harry careening to the ground in a deadly spiral. The world spun spun as Harry tried to pull the broom out of its descent. If this broom was his Firebolt, he would have been able to get it under control in a few minutes, but this was a Starshooter he wasn’t familiar with. The older broom didn’t have the mobility or control his Firebolt had, causing Harry to be unable to stop his tumble to the ground. Harry barely got the broom to slow its descent before he was forced to abandon ship and jump from the broom before he crashed into the ground.

“Umpf!” Harry winced when all the air left him at once when he hit the ground. He mentally checked over himself to make sure he wasn’t seriously injured before shrugging it off and carefully standing. Harry groaned when he stood up straight he was going to be a walking bruise tomorrow.

Suddenly, he heard a shout and he turned to see James and the rest of the quidditch team running towards him. Alice reached him first.

“Are you alright?! You must have fallen from five hundred feet up! Are you hurt? Any broken bones? Do you need to go to the hospital wing--”

James cut her off. “Did you catch the snitch?”

Harry narrowed his eyes but lifted his hand to reveal the weakly fluttering snitch clenched in his fist. Harry thought he saw a faint smile flicker over James’ lips but it was gone before he could be sure.

“Ok, then, I think--” James stopped when Sirius landed beside him.

“We need to do it again,” Sirius said without preamble.

James blinked at Sirius in shock. “What? But--”

“We. Need. To. Do. It. Again,” Sirius said with a deadpan look on his face.

“Sirius-”

“Again!”

James sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He glared over at Sirius but nevertheless said, “Okay, they’ll do it again.”

Harry barely contained his growl of frustration and anger as he released the snitch.

And that is how Harry ended up almost falling to his death a second time in one day. Fifteen minutes after the declaration that the Seekers would go through the drill again, Harry limped back to the group and dropped the snitch in James' hand with a blank look on his face. He noticed James flinch slightly when he saw the cut above Harry’s eyebrow from where Sirius had elbowed him in this round of ‘Let’s knock Harry off his broom!’.

A moment later, Sirius landed beside them once again, albeit this time he was out of breath. “Again.”

A deadly expression flickered across James' face. “You can’t be serious!”

“Again.”

“No,” James shook his head. “I will not allow this to continue. You almost killed him, Padfoot! Plus, at least have the shite you pulled on him would get us kicked out of a real match.”

James turned to Harry. “You’re on the team. Michael will be backup.”

Sirius looked at James in surprise. “Prongs--”

“Save it! I’m the captain of this team and I make the final decision! Emrys is on the team!”

Sirius’ face took an ugly red color before he stormed off the field. James sighed and turned back to see the entire team staring at him in shock. James growled. “What are you waiting for? Get out of here! Practice starts next Monday!”

And with that James left the field. The rest of the team slowly began to disperse, but all Harry could do was stand there. He was shaking with rage. He couldn’t believe Sirius would be this-this-this  _ hateful _ ! Hell, his own godfather could have killed him!

“Hadrian?”

Siri could have killed him just because he didn’t like the fact he was supposedly related to Slytherin.

“Hadrian, are you alright?”

How would he have reacted if Harry had been placed in Slytherin in his first year?

“Hadrian, answer me!”

Harry took off running, trying to avoid his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. James is getting SLIGHTLY closer to Harry. Notice how he changed from Slytherin to Emrys about halfway through? Anyway, tell me what you think! And I promise I WILL reply! I'm sorry I haven't in the past but I'm trying to stop that. I hope you guys liked it!


	16. Misery Loves Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's not the only one hurting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you all have had a great holiday! Here's the long awaited next chapter. Hope you guys like it and don't be afraid to tell me what you think!

The castle was eerily silent except for Harry’s loud footsteps that echoed through the halls. The halls were empty since it was long past curfew. His heart pounded in this head, and Harry tried to focus on that rather than all the thoughts swirling in his head. 

He couldn’t believe that Siri- No. Sirius. This teenager was nothing like the godfather he knew. No, this guy was idiotic, insolent, foolish, self-centered, egotistic--

Harry growled and slammed his fist into the wall. The pain centered him a bit, driving thoughts from his mind if only for a minute. He glanced down at his hand and saw that he had split several of his knuckles on the unforgiving stone wall. He flexed his hand causing the cuts to split open further and blood to run down his hand. A dry chuckle left Harry’s lips. He really needed to stop punching things when he got angry. Hermione would be so upset if she knew that he was resorting to physical violence instead of actually dealing with his anger.

Harry paused and corrected himself. The old Hermione would have been concerned about him. The Hermione after the war would have taken this as a sign that he was surely going dark if he was using pain to center himself. He clenched his hand, focusing on the pain instead.

Harry stalked through the corridors. He still wasn’t calm, not even after hitting something. In fact, he felt worse than before. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Sirius had really done a number on him, physically and mentally. Harry hadn’t been this bruised up since before the time jump. A particularly deep breath made Harry wince and clutch at at his ribs. He was almost positive that Sirius had either broken or severely bruised a couple of his ribs sometime during his ‘Let’s Kill Harry’ phase.

Harry debated for a moment going to the hospital wing before shaking his head. If he went to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey would lock him in overnight at the very least. It wouldn’t be worth it.

He shook his head and dug into his bag that he barely had the brains to grab when he made his fast escape from the Quidditch field looking for some kind of bandage. He sorted through the jumbled objects before pausing, his fingers landing on a cold, smooth object. A smile flickered across his lips. Screw bandages. He knew just what he needed. With a turn of his heel, he started heading in the opposite direction at a much calmer pace.

A few minutes later, Harry leisurely walked up the steps of the Astronomy Tower. It was a crisp, clear night with not a cloud in the sky. The stars were shining brightly not deterred at all by the large glowing moon that seemed to take up most of the sky. Harry walked to the railing and began to look for his favorite stars in the sky. A dark expression flickered over his face when he caught sight of the dog star. His fingers delved into his bag and wrapped around the cool body of the flask of Firewhiskey that he usually had stashed in his bag. He grinned when he noticed the charm he had placed on the liquor bottle to make it look like a water bottle was still holding up. He took a long swig of the whiskey, not even twitching as the liquor burned his throat. The minutes passed with Harry reveling in the cool breeze and the beginning of a burning in his blood.

Quiet footsteps echoed up the stairs causing him to freeze in his place. The footsteps stopped when the person evidently saw him.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn't realize anyone was up here.”

Harry hummed quietly and took another sip of his whiskey. He knew if he answered Regulus would become angry and storm off.

“Would it be all right if I stayed? On the other side of the tower, of course,” the boy asked hesitantly.

Harry paused before replying, “I suppose, but only if you promise not to kill me. I've already reached my daily limitation of tempting fate today.”

“You!” Regulus snarled, “What are you doing up here!?”

“Well, I was trying to enjoy my drink,” Harry said before taking a swig of his whiskey, “Didn't think anyone would bother to come up here at this time at night.”

Regulus sneered. “Well, I leave you up here to enjoy your  _ water.” _

Harry snorted. “If this was water than I would have had a  _ lot  _ more fun in my life.” Harry turned to Regulus and waved the bottle at him. “Here. Take a drink. You must need it if you're up here in the middle of the night.”

Regulus stared at him warily, causing Harry to roll his eyes. “It's not like I poisoned the damn thing. Take a drink. Live a little.”

“I'm not a Gryffindor, Emrys. I try not to do idiotic things.”

“You know,” Harry began, “I have a philosophy. Even though we’re all placed in a certain house, we have the qualities of all of them. You can be a wise Ravenclaw and still be as loyal as a Hufflepuff. You can a courageous Gryffindor and still be a smart as a Ravenclaw.” Harry’s eyes drifted to Regulus. “And you can be a cunning Slytherin and still be as brave as a Gryffindor. Take a drink. It's only firewhiskey.”

Although Regulus’ face was carefully blank, Harry could see in his eyes that he was toying with the idea. Finally, after a moment's pause, Regulus snatched the bottle from his hand and  took a drink. A small chuckle left Harry’s lips when the burning sensation from the liquid caused Regulus to sputter and cough. The glare that Regulus sent him would have killed a lesser being.

“Hey, I’m not poking fun! I just didn’t think Sirius’ brother wouldn’t be used to firewhiskey by now,” Harry said holding his hands up in surrender.

If anything, his comment made Regulus’ glare worse. “ _ Do not compare me to my brother. _ ”

The joking manner left Harry immediately, and he nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I don’t like being compared to my father, so I don’t know why I thought....” Harry shook his head. “You’re nothing like your brother, anyway. I don’t know why I assumed you were.”

A hurt look flashed across Regulus face before it was replaced by curiosity. “How’d you figure out that Siri and I have nothing in common?”

Harry snorted. “Well, the first thing that gave it away was the fact that you haven’t repeatedly tried to kill me today.”

Regulus looked truly shocked by Harry’s accusations. He floundered for a few moments trying to form a response before replying, “W-what? But why would he do that? You’re one of his lot for Merlin’s sake.”

“Funny you should say that,” Harry said darkly, “Because it seems that I’m not  _ Gryffindor  _ enough for him.”

Harry snagged the bottle from Regulus’ hand and took a long drink.

“That bastard,” the Slytherin finally growled, once he got over his shock, “I can not believe he would act this way purely because you are Lord Slytherin.”

Harry looked at him appraisingly. “You can’t really go judging him, though. You basically did the same thing when I got sorted into Gryffindor.”

“That’s different!” Regulus claimed indignantly, “I was angry with you for legitimate reasons, house rivalries and such, but he is being a hypocritical bastard. Always spouting off shite about how purebloods shouldn’t judge a person by their name and blood and then he goes and does something like  _ this _ !” He continued to grumble to himself before turning back to Harry, “So, what did he do  _ this  _ time, and should I warn Father that he should expect another lawsuit?”

Harry waved his hand in a dismissive manner. “It wasn’t that bad. Quidditch was just a bit...rougher than usual. I’ll live; I’m just pissed.”

Regulus looked him up and down, trying to find all his injuries. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the large gash on Harry’s head and how he was holding himself extremely stiff. “A little rough you say? No quidditch match I’ve been in has left a player in as bad as shape as you.”

Harry couldn’t help but snort. “Then you haven’t been to very many games. Hell, I’ve been worse just in quidditch  _ practice  _ much less a game.”

“I’ll have you know I’m the Slytherin seeker!” Regulus said proudly before becoming concerned again, “And the games aren’t violent here.” He paused before amending his statement. “Well, they can be, but the teachers always stop it before it gets too bad. Blood is very rarely drawn.”

If what Regulus said was true, then Harry wondered what had caused the change in his time. In the future, there was always at least one severe injury in a game if not more. Harry took another drink. Maybe his generation had become so desensitized to violence and pain that major injuries in a child’s game weren’t anything to be concerned about. They had all had worse or seen worse.

“Emrys?” Regulus’ voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts. “If-if it makes you feel better, this thing with Sirius is probably not personal. He just…hates Slytherins.”

“Does that include you?” Harry asked quietly.

Regulus stiffened immediately. “What exactly are you insinuating?”

“You know what I’m saying, Regulus.”

“How dare you-”

“That’s when your relationship with your brother fell apart wasn’t it? When you got sorted into Slytherin.” Regulus opened his mouth, but Harry plowed on. “I’m just trying to say it’s not fair how he treats you. After all, you can’t choose your house. It’s who you are. It would be a crime against nature to deny that.”

“A crime to deny it…” Regulus murmured to himself before shaking his head and glaring at Harry. “My relationship with my brother is  _ none _ of your business, Emrys.”

Harry nodded and took another drink. “You’re right. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

A heavy silence settled over the two of them. Harry wasn’t sure what surprised him more: the fact that Regulus didn’t tear him a new one or the fact that he was still here. His shock disappeared when Regulus snatched the bottle out of his hand and gulped down half the firewhiskey in the bottle. Evidently, Regulus was only staying for his liquor.

The minutes ticked by slowly with no words passing between the two of them. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional sloshing of the bottle when Regulus took a drink.

“He is  _ such an arse _ ,” Regulus said suddenly, causing Harry to jump slightly. Harry looked at him questioningly before the younger boy elaborated. “Sirius. He’s...he’s...he’s so  _ hypocritical _ and  _ judgemental _ and  _ irrational _ !”

Harry looked Regulus over worriedly. The younger boy was swaying slightly and there was a fiery look in his eyes that Harry had never seen ther before. Maybe he shouldn’t have let Regulus drink so much. He held out his hand for the bottle. “Mind giving me back the bottle?” Harry said carefully. “I’m dying of thirst over here.”

Regulus grumbled but handed over the bottle anyway. He paced the floor beside Harry for a few minutes before he started ranting. “He is such a  _ goddamn arse _ ! I swear! He’s always going on and on about house loyalty and how we shouldn’t judge others based on their blood and he goes and does something like this!  _ He is such an arse! _ ”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, mate, but this is your brother we’re talking about,” Harry said nervously. He didn’t want Regulus to explode at him or go running off to yell at Sirius.

“That’s what makes this so much worse! He’s my  _ brother _ ! He’s a  _ Black _ ! He should know better than ostracizing the new lord! He should know better than hurting people he shouldn’t...” Regulus trailed off.

Harry took a small drink of firewhiskey before saying, “Why do I have the feeling this conversation isn’t about me anymore?”

Regulus picked at his cuticles. “I...may have gotten side-tracked.”

“Through my own experience, it’s always family that hurts us the most.” And it was true for the most part. As much as Harry hated it, he was related to the Dursleys by blood, and they had made his life living hell. The pain he had caused him wasn’t the worst he had suffered from those he called family. It hurt him deeply whenever his godfather compared him to his father. Practically the last words Siri had said to him…and now he…Harry shook his head. Bad thoughts. Very bad thoughts. Needed to leave his head  _ now  _ thoughts.

 Regulus snorted. “Now, isn’t that beyond  _ true _ .”

He motioned for the bottle, but Harry took a long drink, pretending he didn’t notice. Regulus sighed but continued anyway. “We didn’t use to be like this you know. We used to be,” He made a show out of crossing his fingers. “ _ Inseparable _ . Where one of us went the other one followed. But that was before Hogwarts. Once he came here everything went downhill.”

Regulus motioned for the bottle again, and Harry was forced to hand it over. He twitched in frustration. His forehead itched.

While Regulus took a drink, Harry carefully looked him over. The younger boy was clearly intoxicated. It was unmistakable in the way he swayed slightly and how he slurred his words when he became particularly angry about something.

“Hogwarts was the beginning of the end. That’s when he met those  _ friends _ of his,” He snarled at the mention of the Marauders before turning to Harry with a wild look in his eyes. “It’s all their fault, you know! He was fine until he met them! He actually cared about his future, about his  _ family _ !  _ They  _ turned him against us! They turned him against  _ me! _ ”

Harry stepped closer to the younger boy and tried to calm him down. “Hey, now, I’m sure we can...I’m sure we can fix this…”

Regulus continued on as if he hadn’t heard Harry. “They turned  him into this bullying prat! When he actually saw me as his brother, he was super protective. And caring. He would never think about about hurting anyone unless it was in self defense or to protect me. And now...now, he won’t even look at me.”

A choked off sob was all it took to get Harry to wrap his arms around the younger boy in a hug. “It’s gonna be all right. We’ll figure out something. It’s gonna be all right,” Harry whispered comfortingly.

Regulus sniffed quietly and pulled back slightly before freezing. Harry watched in confusion as the other boy’s eyes grew exceedingly large. Finally he opened his mouth and said, “You’re bleeding.”

“What?” Harry stared down at him in confusion. “I stopped bleeding hours ago, Black. All my cuts have scabbed over by now.”

Regulus narrowed his eyes in frustration before swiping a hand across Harry’s forehead with lightening speed, causing a half startled/half pained yelp to escape from Harry. He opened his mouth to say...something when he realized Regulus hadn’t been lying. Even in the dim light, Harry could easily see that the younger boy’s hand was covered in a dark liquid.

Regulus began to search him over for injuries, all the while ranting at Harry. “You idiot! I can’t believe you decided to get drunk after you had been severely injured! Alcohol is a blood thinner, dumbass! You could bleed to death!”

Harry gently pushed the Slytherin away and tried to examine his injuries. He sighed in frustration when he realized it was too dark to see how bad everything was. It didn’t help that he didn’t feel any pain. The firewhiskey was buzzing in his system and creating a pleasant, warm feeling. 

“We--we need to get you to the hospital wing,” Regulus slurred slightly.

“Slow down there, hero. We can’t go to the hospital wing because Madame Pomfrey will realize that we’re both well and truly sloshed. And that will land us both in detention for Merlin knows how long.”

Regulus swayed slightly but looked determined all the same. “We still need to get you help. I’m not the n-new lord bleed out on my watch. Now, let’s go.”

Regulus turned to walk down the steps but stumbled. Harry jerked into action and barely caught him before he fell flat on his face. Harry sighed and mumbled to himself as he helped the younger boy up, “Well, I’m obviously not letting you walk down the stairs  _ alone _ ,” He sighed again before talking to the Slytherin, “Come on, I know a place we can go.”

Harry carefully began to help the younger boy down the stairs. “Why do I have the feeling that if your brother finds out about this he will either try to kill me or give me a high five for this.”

“Probably high five you and make fun of me,” Regulus snorted, “Although I doubt either one of us would be able to get close enough for him to figure out we’re both drunk.”

“Got that right.”

Slowly, the two made their way through the school corridors. Not a soul was out. Regulus pouted when he realized this. “How is it that whenever I’m out on my own I’ve got to hide and sneak around, but you can just walk down the halls like it’s the middle of the day. It’s not fair!”

“Yeah, well, life’s not fair.”

“But still! It seems like all you Seventh years are able to sneak around and do what you want. What’s your secret? Trackers on all the prefects? Compulsion charms on all the teachers?”

Harry chuckled. “I wish. It’d make my life easier.”

Relief flooded him when they finally made it to the seventh floor without any incidents. “Come on, Black. Just a little bit further,”

Regulus looked at him in confusion. “Why did we come here? There’s nothing up here except unused classrooms and empty rooms.”

  “That’s what you think,” Harry said with a grin as he pulled the boy over to the empty stretch of wall he would recognize with his eyes closed.

Regulus watched him warily as Harry paced three times in front of the wall. His eyes widened when two huge doors etched themselves out of stone. “W-what? How? Why?  _ What _ ?” Regulus stuttered in shock.

Harry chuckled and dramatically flung open the doors. “Welcome to Maison d’ Emrys!”

Regulus eyed the room carefully before nodding slightly. “You have impeccable...style. It reminds me a bit of all the old lords’ mansions.”

Harry could see why he said that. The Room of Requirement seemed to always outdo itself whenever he was involved. It had turned itself into a spacious loft with everything trimmed in gold and emerald. One wall was lined with bookshelves filled with various books on healing, defense, and a few books that Harry truly enjoyed surrounding a large canopy bed. A huge, crackling fireplace was surrounded by several comfortable looking chairs and couches. The third wall held a large mirror and baskets of bandages and gauze. A crystal pitcher and bowl as well as a couple of towels were on large wash stand beside the mirror.

Regulus’ eyes landed on the wash table and he immediately drug Harry over to it. “We need to clean you up.” 

He shoved Harry down into the large emerald armchair in front of the wash stand. Harry winced when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He looked as if he had gotten into a fight which he kind of had. The cut on his forehead had reopened and blood was dripping down his face. He couldn’t help but wonder how the blood had missed his right eye since the cut was almost directly above it.

He looked down at his hands in order to get away from the sight only to realize his knuckles had split open again from where he hit the wall. 

“So, how did you get that?”

Harry jumped. Regulus nodded down at his hand as he wetted one of the towels. “Did you punch Sirius after he caused that cut above your eye?”

Harry snorted. “No, I punched a wall, actually.”

Regulus hummed to himself as he dabbed at the cut above Harry’s eye. “Punching walls. Sounds like something my brother would do.” He motioned at the bowl of slowly reddening water. “Sorry for doing this the muggle way. You would think that after all these years I would know more healing spells. Hell, I barely know how to fix a broken nose.”

Harry chuckled. “ Not to be mean, but I wouldn’t let you near me with a wand. Hell, you’re swaying right now!”

Regulus glared at him and made an effort to stop swaying. “I’m  _ fine _ !”

“You’re  _ drunk _ !” Harry said in the same tone of voice.

“ _ I’m not! _ ”

“You totally are--Ow!” Harry yelped when Regulus pressed down hard on the cut.

“Oops,” The Slytherin said with no real remorse.

Harry huffed and sat silently for a few minutes before asking, “So, how’d you learn how to clean out wounds?”

Regulus paused for a moment before dipping the towel back into the now red water. “I’m a Slytherin, Emrys. It’s not like we don’t get into fights.”

“Sure. That’s how you know how to do this.”

Regulus turned around sharply, accidently sloshing some of the water out of the bowl before slamming it down onto the wash stand. “ _ Stop while you’re ahead, Emrys. _ ”

Harry stood with a sigh. “Sorry, I should be thanking you, and instead I’m…”

Regulus took a deep breath before turning around. He sent Harry a glare. “What are you doing standing up? Sit back--” Regulus cut himself off with a gasp as his foot slipped in the pink puddle of water. Harry stepped forward and caught the younger boy, but he couldn’t help but grunt in pain when Regulus accidently elbowed him in the ribs. Yep, he definitely had some cracked ribs.

  Regulus jumped back with wide eyes. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you? What’s wrong?”

Harry carefully crafted a blank look on his face. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. You just winded me when you fell.”

The Slytherin’s eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t an ‘I can’t breath’ grunt. That was an ‘that fucking hurts, stop’ grunt. Something’s wrong with your chest. Let me see. Now.”

“Bossy much?” Harry grumbled as he carefully lifted up his shirt. He winced when he realized a bruise had already started to form. It was ugly, purple and slowly spreading across the left side of his chest. A sharp inhale of breath told Harry that Regulus saw the bruise.

“Fuck…” The younger boy said somewhat breathlessly, “Did-did Sirius do that to you?”

“Yes...He did.” It hurt to even say it.

“W-why? You’re a Gryffindor. You’re on  _ their side _ ,” Regulus said looking lost.

Harry snorted. “Well, they don’t think so.” He motioned to the room. “Why’d you think I knew about this place? I’ve been crashing here whenever things get...tense in the Tower.”

“You’re-you’re not on their side?” Regulus asked quietly.

“I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m just trying to survive,” Harry sighed.

Regulus nodded, more out of shock than anything else. “You really should have been sorted into Slytherin.”

“You’re not the only one to say that,” Harry said with a slight smile. The Sorting Hat hadn’t been the only one to claim he would be a great Slytherin.

“I-I need sleep,” Regulus whispered, clutching his head. “I should go back to the dungeons.”

Harry looked at him in concern. “You should crash here. I doubt you’d make it all the way down there without getting caught. Plus, I don’t think you should be walking down all those stairs with how,” he paused, “ _ tipsy _ you are.”

“There’s only one bed.”

Harry glanced up and smirked. “And now there’s two.”

Regulus looked up in shock to see a large, black canopy bed lined with silver. He glanced at Harry and the bed and back at Harry before huffing. “I’m not even going to ask.”

“I’ll explain it in the morning,” Harry said as he helped the younger boy to the bed, “But for now, you should get some sleep.”

Regulus nodded his agreement as he slid under the covers. Harry willed the lights to dim. “Goodnight, Black.”

Regulus groaned before mumbling, “Call me Regulus.”

Harry paused on his way to his bed. “Goodnight....Regulus.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Tell me in the comments! Soooo, Regulus is an emotional drunk. There's always one in every friend group. I feel bad for him. He's like a kicked puppy, worried he'll be kicked again. And it looks like he doesn't hate Harry anymore! But it also looks like Sirius and the Marauders are now on their bad list...oops. Anyway I hope you guys liked the chapter! Tell me what you think!


	17. Queen of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding time turns weird. For everyone. Including the author.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! What do you know, I'm alive! I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for that, but I was in an car accident a while back. It really screwed up my hands. Glass, cuts, sprain, the only thing missing was a broken bone (Thank god that didn't happen!). Anyway, I couldn't write/type for a really long time without opening a scab or something. BUT! The good news is it got the creative juices flowing and I some how ended up with this chapter. I guess since I couldn't write that 's all I wanted to do? I don't know, but I hope you guys like the chapter. Bewarned though! It hasn't been proofread! I just really wanted to post it. I'll go over it in the morning and fix things if I have to. Tell me what you think in that little white box at the end!

Harry woke up with a loud groan when the makeshift bandage he had made for his hand got caught in the sheets. Harry ignored the stinging pain and snuggled further into the silk sheets. A sudden wetness between his fingers had him cursing and springing out of bed. The scabs on his knuckles had ripped off with the bandage.

Grumbling to himself, Harry walked over to the wash stand in order to clean off the blood. He really should have tried to heal the majority of his cuts and bruises last night but he had been so  _ tired _ . After Regulus had fallen asleep, the reality of the day hit him. He realized exactly how  _ long _ the day had been. The quidditch tryouts, Sirius, then  _ Regulus _ . Everything hit him at once. So instead of trying to deal with his thoughts, emotions, and even injuries like an adult, he voted to slap a bandaid on everything and just sleep it off. He was regretting that now.

He poured a generous amount of water into the bowl before dipping the towel in it. Blood ran down his fingers and dripped to the marble floor as he gently dabbed at his knuckles. After a few minutes, the bleeding stopped. He looked at his hand in consideration for a few minutes before disregarding it. The cuts would heal on their own fine; he should focus on more important injuries.

With a sigh, Harry stepped in front of the mirror and started to carefully remove his shirt. He froze when it was halfway over his head before yanking it back down, his eyes going wide.  _ Oh fuck,  _ He thought to himself,  _ Please, tell me I did  _ not  _ do what I think I did last night. _

He groaned as the memories of last night started to come back to come come back to him.“You gotta be fucking  _ kidding _ me! I took off my  _ fucking shirt?! _ What was I thinking? Damn drunk me!”

Kali yawned before curling tighter around his wrist, annoyed by his agitated movements.

He began to pace back and forth in front of the mirror. “Okay, maybe--maybe he didn’t notice the scars. I’m mean he  _ was  _ really drunk. Maybe he just focused on the bruising and nothing else. Hell, maybe the bruising covers the scars.”

The only way he could figure out if that was true was by looking at his chest, though. Carefully, he took off his shirt. A sharp hiss left his lips when he saw the bruising. The left side of his ribs were a motley design of purples, blues, and greens. At the very center of the bruise, where Sirius had hit him the hardest, the skin was a ghastly black. This, he was  _ definitely  _ going to have to heal.

He began to carefully eye his old scars. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he tried to decide if Regulus had noticed them.  The glamour he had put on the burn he had received from the dragon in his fourth year and the scars from…  _ when he was young _ had held through the night so he doubt Regulus been able to see them, but other scars were  _ clearly _ visible. He winced when he realized that the bruises didn’t hide the scars, but actually accentuated them. All the scars he tried to hide nowadays seemed to be on display more than usual. Harry ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure how he was going to hide this from Regulus.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet rustling and moan from behind him. Harry threw on a shirt in panic before turning around to see Regulus trying to sit up while he clutched his head.

“ _ Oww _ …  _ My head hurts, _ ” The younger boy groaned.

“Shhhh,” Harry shushed him quietly, “Go back to sleep. It’s still really early.”

“I can’t sleep with my head hurting this much,” Regulus whined.

Harry sighed before walking over to a shelf of bottles that appeared at his wish. He sorted through a couple bottles before finding the two he wanted. 

He walked over to Regulus’ bed and gently pressed the two bottles into the Slytherin’s hand. “Here,” Harry whispered quietly, “Drink these. You’ll feel better.”

Regulus looked at them in confusion. “What are these?”

“The reddish-brown one that kind of looks like mud is a hangover cure. And the light purple one,” Harry paused before continuing, “is a dreamless sleep potion.”

Regulus narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to drug me, Hadrian?”

“Is it considered drugging if I told you what it was?” Harry asked with an easy grin.

“I suppose not,” Regulus said after a moment's pause, “but I’m still not drinking it.”

He set the bottle down on the nightstand beside the bed.

Harry frowned slightly. “You should drink it, though. It’ll help with the hangover and we still have a few hours before breakfast is served in the Great Hall.”

Regulus pushed himself up with a sigh. “Nope. When I’m up I’m up. No going back to sleep now. Even with the help of potions.”

The Slytherin uncorked the brown potion bottle and downed it in one go. He immediately gagged. “Merlin, What’s in this?” 

“Trust me, Regulus. You don’t want to know.”

The Slytherin nodded slightly before cocking his head. “You’re favoring you’re left side. I’m guessing your injuries haven’t gotten any better, have they?”

Harry waved his hand dismissively. “They’ll be fine. Just a few bumps and bruises, that’s all.”

Regulus narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t just a bruise I saw last night, Hadrian. It looked like you were bleeding out under your skin.” The Slytherin paused, searching Harry’s face for something before continuing in a false cheerful tone, “But, then again, I don’t think my memories are all that reliable. Unless there actually _ were  _ pink elephants parading down the corridors last night?”

Harry smiled. He knew exactly what the younger boy was doing. He was giving Harry an out if he didn’t want to talk about it. “Pink elephants? Really? Did you see Dumbo flying by the Astronomy Tower last night as well?”

“Dumbo?” Regulus repeated, “Who’s Dumbo?”

Harry waved his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. It was just a joke.”

He walked back towards the mirror and began to carefully examine the gash on his head. It was very wide and the edges seemed to curl away from each other. Harry was either going to have to  stitch it back together or heal it magically. Carefully, he prodded the edge of it before letting out a sharp hiss.

“Generally speaking,” Regulus called out to him, “You shouldn’t poke a wound. Especially an injury such as a broken bone, a severe cut, or a  _ head injury _ .”

“It’s not that bad,” Harry said, trying to convince both himself and Regulus.

Regulus grumbled as he struggled to untangle himself from his bed. Harry rolled his eyes at the younger boy and went back to poking the cut. A startled yelp from behind him had Harry whirling around to see what had happened. Regulus was half laying on the floor, half on the bed with silver sheets tangled between his legs.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked while trying to keep a grin off his face.

Regulus scowled and went back to untangling himself. “I am perfectly,” he somehow managed to get the sheets untangled before standing up, “ _ Fine _ .” 

Harry chuckled. “If you say so.”

Regulus’ scowl deepened. “And how about you?” He snapped, “Are  _ you _ all right?”

Harry stilled. Evidently, the other boy wasn’t going to let it go liked he had hoped. “I already told you, Regulus. I’m perfectly fine. Just some minor bruises that’s all.”

“ _ Yeah, sure _ . And the bruising I saw last night wasn’t due to a broken rib or two.”

Harry growled and turned to face the Slytherin. “I’m  _ fine _ , Regulus. Now stop asking.”

“You are not fine!” The younger boy cried, “You’re obviously favoring your left side and you have your arm curled around the left side of your ribs protecting them. Now take off your goddamn shirt and let me help!” 

“No!” Harry growled taking a few steps back, “I’m not taking my shirt off!”

Regulus’ eyes narrowed. “Take it off.”

“No!”

“Take. It. Off.”

“No, I’m not going to take it off!”

Regulus huffed. “Fine. Whatever. Suffer for all I care.”

Harry stared at the younger boy warily before smiling a small, tight smile. “I’ll be fine, Regulus. If anything’s truly bad, I’ll heal it with magic.” Harry turned around to face the mirror again. “But nothing's really bad except for the cut on my head. I think that’s the only thing I’m going to have to--”

Harry cut himself off with a gasp when he felt his shirt disappear. He whirled around to see Regulus staring at him with wide eyes. The Slytherin’s eyes traveled up and down his torso, taking in all the scars and bruises.

Finally, Harry snapped. “Like what you see?” He growled harshly.

Regulus shook himself out of his daze before walking forward and carefully surveying Harry’s ribs. “We need to take care of your ribs. I think at least a couple of them are broken or at least fractured.”

“You’re not going to ask me about my scars?” Harry asked in confusion.

“Hadrian,” he began softly, “I’m not going to force you to tell me something you obviously don’t want to talk about. You can tell me in your own time or not at all. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is making sure you don’t accidentally puncture a lung by moving the wrong way.”

Harry remained silent as the younger boy went back to carefully examining his ribs. It had been a long time since anybody was willing to wait for him to explain something instead of forcing it out of him. Hell, he couldn’t really remember the last time that had happened.

“Thank you,” Harry said suddenly.

Regulus smiled softly. “It’s no problem.” A serious look stole across his face. “Now, I’m almost positive that some of your ribs are broken. Unfortunately, I don’t know a spell that can heal this. That leaves us two options. We either take you to see Madame Pomfrey,” Horror filled Harry’s face. “ _ Or _ we find something in this room to help heal you. It seems that stuff appears when you need it to in this room. Maybe a healing book will as well.”

Harry shook his head, although Regulus did not see it since he had already turned to the bookshelves for answers. “We don’t have to resort to that. I already know a spell that can heal my ribs.”

“You do?” Regulus paused from looking through one of the bookshelves. “Why didn’t you heal them last night?”

“Well, one: I was drunk. Two: it was like four in the morning. And three: I was too lazy and tired to do it, so I just went to bed.”

Regulus eyes widened. “You idiot! You could have made them worse! What if you had rolled over in your sleep and accidently punctured a lung or something!?”

Harry waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, it’d be all right. If I had punctured a lung, I would have woken up and healed it.”

Regulus stared at him in horrified awe. “Oh my god. I’m friends with a suicidal dumbass.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Harry said with a completely blank face, “I’m glad to see you think  _ so  _ much of me.”

“What can I say?” Regulus shrugged. “I call it like I see it. Now, quit trying to distract me and heal yourself.”

Harry rolled his eyes but nevertheless drew his wand. “Bossy much?” Ignoring Regulus’s answering growl, Harry pointed his wand at his ribs and whispered, “ _ Noctis _ .”

Two resounding snaps echoed through the room causing Regulus’ eyes to widen and Harry to groan in pain. 

“There,” Harry grunted, clutching his ribs, “See? All better.”

“No, you don’t sound any better,” Regulus fretted, “Here, sit down. Rest a little.”

Regulus carefully helped Harry sit down in the chair beside the mirror. “Is there anything I can do?”

Harry shook his head. “Nah, just give me a few moments. And maybe a pain reliever.” As Regulus began searching the shelves of potions, Harry couldn’t resist adding, “Or twenty.”  

 “What was that?” The younger boy called over his shoulder.

“Oh, nothing,” Harry paused before saying, “On second thought, can you get me some bruise removal cream? Just one jar.”

Regulus’ hands stilled amongst the jars. “Bruise removal cream? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Harry winced. Of course he wouldn’t. Fred and George made long in the future. But if he needed it, surely the room would provide it. Wouldn’t it? “I doubt you would have. Some of my friends created it a few years ago and never went public. But there should be some in the room. It’s a dull yellow color, very thick.”

Regulus searched for a few moments before shouting victoriously, “Found them!” 

Regulus’ pleased expression dimmed when Harry immediately snatched the pain relief potion out of his hand, uncorked it with his teeth, and drank it in one swallow.

“I’m gonna assume you did that out of habit and  _ not  _ because you’re in serious pain,” he drawled.

“Habit? Why do you think it’s a habit?”

“Really?” Regulus asked before motioning at Harry’s scars. “You’re asking me that?”

“Oh. Right.”

Harry held out his hand for the other bottle hoping the action would distract the other boy. It must have for Regulus almost dropped the bottle because he was so startled by the sudden movement before handing it to Harry. The Slytherin stared curiously at the bottle as Harry uncorked it and used his finger to scoop out some.

“How exactly does it work?” Regulus eventually asked.

“I’m not sure,” Harry said as he smeared some of the solution on the bruising on his chest, “Fred and George were always very secretive about anything they made. What I do know is that it helps heal the bruising. Depending on the severity that is. It’ll heal a small bruise completely, but it’ll merely fade a bruise this bad.”

As if to prove his point, the part of the bruise he had spread the cream on turned from a startling purple to a nasty green color. Regulus whistled. “That sure is a handy cream.”

Harry nodded as he spread on the rest of the cream. “Definitely. It’s helped me out numerous times.”

Regulus stared in confusion when Harry corked the bottle again after he finished covering the bruise on his chest. “Wait, what are you doing? Why aren’t you covering your other bruises?”

“You can only use so much at one time before it stops working,” Harry explained, “I doubt any of my other bruises would heal since I put so much cream on this one.”

Regulus looked Harry over worriedly. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right? Is there anything else I can do?”

“Nah, there’s nothing else to do besides heal the cut on my forehead.” Harry smiled up at Regulus comfortingly, “I’ll be fine, though. I promise.”

The younger boy continued to look at Harry in worry, but this time his eyes settled Harry’s numerous scars.

“Tell me one thing,” the boy said quietly.

Harry tensed waiting for the inevitable.

“Tell me that you’re safe from whoever caused those scars,” Regulus said with pleading eyes.

Harry leaned back in his chair and stared up at Regulus appraisingly. “That’s really what you want to know? Not how I got my scars or who gave them to me?”

The younger boy nodded. “Telling me if you’re safe or not is enough for me.”

Harry smiled softly. “I’m as safe as anyone can be in the castle. The people that caused these scars cannot harm me here.”

Although he did not seem completely satisfied with Harry’s answer, Regulus nodded before turning and tidying up the potion bottles he had jumpled up in his haste to find the pain relief potion and bruise cream. Harry stayed seated with his head resting on the palm of his hand. He was deep in thought, his eyes vacant. After a few moments, he blinked and nodded to himself as if coming to a decision before calling out, “Regulus.”  

The younger boy stilled. “Yes, Hadrian?”

“They say that all great friendships start with an act of trust.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Regulus said, confusion tainting his voice.

“I could use a great friend about now.”

“Hadrian, what are you saying?” Regulus asked as he turned back to face Harry.

Harry stared deep into the younger boy’s eyes. “Can I trust you, Regulus?”

Regulus paused, looking slightly shocked by the question before his expression became a mixture of concern and determination. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

A thin smile appeared on Harry’s lips. “In that case, I’ll tell you the story behind one of my scars. Just one. The others you will have to work for.”

“You don’t have to do that, Hadrian! You can tell me when you’re ready. I’ll understand.”

Harry shook his head. “If I’m honest, I doubt I’ll ever be ready to tell the stories behind these scars. But I’m willing to tell you one of the many horror stories of my life. I’m willing to trust that you won’t tell it to anyone else. Will you let me trust you?”

Regulus gulped and nodded. “Which-” he paused to clear his throat. “Which scar will you tell me about?”

Harry hummed and tilted his head. “Why don’t you pick.”

“What?” Regulus asked in shock, “You’d let me pick?”

Harry shrugged. “In for a penny, in for a pound. Go on. Pick.”

Regulus’ eyes wandered up and down his torso. Harry could help but wonder which scar he would pick. The small, thin stab wound between two of his lower ribs? The large scar on his shoulder where it looked like the skin had literally melted off? The large, jagged scar that was at least a half an inch thick that traveled from the lower part of the right side of his waist down to his left hip?

After what seemed like an eternity, Regulus’ eyes settled on a scar, or rather scars. “How did you get those scars above your heart?”

Harry winced. “Of course, you would pick that one.”

Regulus eyes widened. “You don’t have to explain it if you don’t want to! I can pick a different scar or, better yet, we could wait until you’re actually ready to tell me! You don’t have to answer!”

Harry waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not that. It’s just that I should have realized you’d pick that one.”

Subconsciously, Harry’s hand went to cover the scar.

“Hadrian,” Regulus said gently, “you don’t have to tell me.”

Harry rubbed harshly at the vicious claw marks above his heart before saying, “I want to. Just give me a moment to figure out how to explain what happened.”

Regulus nodded and waited patiently as Harry began to craftily combine the truth with a few lies. Taking a deep breath he began. “Last year, me and two of my friends were on the run.”

Regulus narrowed his eyes in confusion, but didn’t interrupt.

“My family had a habit of making enemies,” Harry continued, “They always did what they thought was the right thing, and, well, that pissed a bunch of people off. There was this one woman, though, who absolutely despised everything me and my family stood for. Her name was,” Harry paused before hesitantly saying, “Belladonna, and she was bloody insane. I’m not talking ‘staring into the air and talking to inanimate objects’. I’m talking ‘cackling as she forces you to watch as she removes your friend’s intestines’ insane. She  _ liked  _ hurting people. It was one of the few things that made her happy, I think. And she knew what would hurt my family most would be to come after me.

“I was at a wedding when Belladonna and her friends attacked. It was mass chaos, but somehow me and my best friends were able to escape. We hid out for hours, waiting for someone to contact us, and when they did it wasn’t with good news. They told us to run and trust no one. We did. For several months. But then we got stupid.  _ I  _ got stupid. She caught us.”

Kali nudged his hand gently in order to make sure he didn’t get lost in his memories. Regulus offered his silent support as Harry took a deep breath before continuing, “She split us up. Torturing us separately in hopes of gaining information that she knew we didn’t know. She spent the most time with me, though. She wanted me to  _ suffer _ .” Harry shrugged and leant back in his chair. “But I was never one to taking things lying down. I called her some choice words, but then I did something unforgivable in her eyes.”

“What?” Regulus asked almost breathlessly.

Harry turned his eyes to the Slytherin. “I insulted her lover.”

“What?!” Regulus exclaimed in confusion.

“Yep.” Harry chuckled. “Funny thing was she was married too, but she didn’t give a damn about her husband. Hell, you could kill him for all she cared, but if you so much as  _ glanced  _ at her lover she would make you  _ beg _ for death.”

“What did she do to you then?” Regulus asked quietly, “I mean, you  _ insulted _ him for Merlin’s sake.”

“She tried to claw my heart out. Since I had insulted hers, she wanted to take mine. Or rather, rip it out and make me watch while she crushed itt in her hand as I died.” Harry cocked his head. “She was a rather violent person.”

“Why did it scar so badly, though?” Regulus asked, “Shouldn’t you have been able to heal it?”

“That’s just it. Belladonna had this thing were she would dip her nails into a potion that her lover gave her. It was basically a liquid form of the cruciatus. If she so much as scratched someone they would feel like they were being cruio’ed. She clawed at me until all of the solution had been stripped from her nails before she poured half the bottle on the gouges. Even after we eventually escaped, my friends weren’t able to get all of the potion out of the cuts, we were only able to heal around the potion.”

Regulus looked at his chest worriedly. “Does that mean you’re still affected by the potion? Since it’s still in your body?”

Harry rubbed harshly at the scars over his heart. “Yeah, the potion’s still there working its magic, but it’s faded over the months. Now it’s just a deep ache with the occasional pulsing pain.”

Regulus shook his head. “How could your friends heal you with that shit still inside you? How can you still call them friends for  _ doing  _ that to you?”

Harry shrugged. “Well, we were in a rush at the time, trying to get away and I couldn’t afford to have a debilitating injury at the time. And if I’m honest with myself, I think they were more than a little pissed with me.”

“What? Why?”

“Somehow we all managed to escape around the same time, although theirs was a planned escape, whereas mine was just luck. After they escaped from their cells, they came looking for me.” Harry chuckled darkly. “And, oh, they did  _ not  _ like what they found.”

“What did they find?” Regulus asked hesitantly, dread coloring his voice.

An unfriendly smile settled on Harry’s lips. “They found me holding a stolen wand, casting crucio after crucio at the bitch who almost clawed out my heart. Needless to say they weren’t happy. They were very staunch supporters of the light and  _ despised  _ any type of dark magic. I didn’t care right then, though. All I cared about was the fact that I got the bitch to scream.” Harry turned to face Regulus directly. “And  _ that  _ is how I got these scars.”

The younger boy stared at Harry in shock. “That… is one hell of a story.”

Harry stood and stretched. “Unfortunately,” he said through a yawn.

“Do  _ all   _ your scars have stories  like that?!”

Harry smirked and wagged a finger at him. “Eh. Eh. Eh! I promised you the story of one scar, and that is what you got! You’ll have to earn the other ones.”

Harry stepped in front of the mirror and started poking at the cut on his forehead again. “Oh, and, Regulus,” he called out, making eye contact with the Slytherin through the mirror, “If you break my trust,” Harry’s eyes narrowed, “You’ll realize there are people in this world who are much more efficient at torture than Belladonna  _ ever _ was.”

Regulus nodded, a small flash of nervousness flickered in his eyes before it was replaced by determination. “Can I ask you one thing, Hadrian?”

Harry paused. “It depends on what it is.”

“Is the bitch dead? Because if not, I’ll kill her.”

Harry smirked through the mirror. “Oh, yeah. The bitch is dead.”

Regulus nodded. “Good. That’s good.”

Harry hummed and flicked his wand at his forehead, causing the cut to heal partially. He frowned at it before shrugging. It’d be fine to heal on it’s own now. He doubt it would leave a scar. He turned back to Regulus with a bright smile on his face as if they hadn’t just been talking about torture. “Ready to go eat breakfast? A good story always makes me hungry.”      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the chapter ends with a dark/creepy Harry. Not sure how that happened. Not what I was aiming for when I started writing this chapter. Oops. Ah well. I'm sure it'll be fine. Plus, it got Reggie to feel super protective of Harry, so yay? Bonding time for my two children went a little dark, but it still counts as bonding time!  
> And I know a lot of you guys wanted Marauder time. It's going to happen! It's just going to be next chapter is all. This chapter would have been really long if I put it together, and it just wasn't flowing like I wanted it to. That's mainly because I want to do a Marauder point of view! That's right people! You heard it here! I want Marauder thoughts here about what's happening. Spoiler alert: Shits gonna go down in prankster heaven.  
> (PS sorry if I'm acting weird. no sleep+finishing chapter buzz= Craziness that has probably also affected my writing. Sorry about that.)


	18. Operation Cobra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Marauders go through so many ups and downs that the author is feeling a little seasick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the long awaited Marauders POV is finally published! Oh, man, this was so exhaustively fun to write. I've been trying to get this chapter right for the past two weeks, I swear. It's been insane. So, that's why it's taken so long. Plus, I think this is the longest chapter I've written as of yet! I guess that's what happens when the author drowns the chapter in dialect. Ah well, je ne regrette rien. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! Don't be afraid to tell me what you think!

James growled as he chased his best friend through the halls of Hogwarts. Well, it wasn’t really _chasing_ so to speak, more like power walking after Sirius so as not to draw attention to other students that something was wrong. Although Sirius was a Gryffindor, he had some Slytherin tendencies and one of those tendencies was that he hated being seen as weak in front of people. And this little tantrum he was throwing? Definitely a weakness.

“Sirius, wait up,” James called, making sure to keep his voice light and carefree in order to avoid suspicion from the other students, “Wait for me!”

His friend ignored his shout and instead sped up. James winced when he saw Sirius collide with a girl, accidently knocking the books out of her hands. The other boy barely paused to mumble an apology before he was off running down the hall again. James glanced between the girl and his best friend before coming to a decision and  stopping.

“I’m sorry about him,” James said as he knelt and started handing her books back, “He’s… I don’t know. Pissed or something.”

“Well, he shouldn’t take it out on the rest of us!” The Hufflepuff snarled as she snatched her last book from James’s hands. She stood and huffed, “Some of us don’t have the _luxury_ of being pissy! We have to deal with our emotions like _actual adults_.”

The girl stomped off, and James stared after her in confusion. Eventually he shook his head and muttered, “Crazy bint.”

He glanced down the corridor in hopes of seeing Sirius, but he knew the other Gryffindor was long gone by now. James would never be able to catch up with him now, no matter how fast he ran. Not that he actually _knew_ where Siri was. Sirius always had a way of being able to hide and _stay_ hidden for as long as he wanted without getting caught. James wouldn’t be able to find him even if he was literally standing two feet away from his best friend. No, the best thing to do was to head back to the dorm and hope that Sirius would eventually find his way back to the tower.

James shoved his hands deep into his pockets and started the long trek to the Gryffindor Tower. The few stragglers still in the corridors were trying to quickly make it back to their dorms before curfew, but James didn’t bother to hurry. He had too much on his mind.

He needed to have a long talk with Sirius, and he could already tell that it was going to be one of the worst talks they’ve had since becoming friends. Something was going on with Padfoot. And it had to be more than just disliking Emrys. After all, he wouldn’t have tried to kill the poor bastard if he just didn’t like him!

James winced at the thought. That wasn’t quite true, he supposed.  Last year with Sniv--

He shook his head. _No_. That had been an accident. A prank gone wrong. Sirius had not actually meant to hurt Snivellus. It was probably the same with Emrys. He didn’t mean to actually hurt the boy, but it just got… out of hand.

“Well, are you just gonna stand there all day or are you going to give me the password?”

James jumped at the voice and looked up only to realize he’d been standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady for some time now. She stared down at him impatiently.

“Well?”

Spurred by the question, James quickly muttered the password, ignoring how the portrait huffed as he walked into the common room. James immediately walked past the few people sitting around the common room and up the stairs to his dorm. He hesitated when he got to the door, his hand an inch away from the doorknob before flinging it.

A startled yelp was the only protest of his treatment of the door. Peter stared at him in shock, clutching his chest as if he was going to have a heart attack. Remus simply looked at him sympathetically.

“He’s not here yet,” Remus said causing James’ shoulders to slump.

“Damn,” James muttered, “I was hoping a dramatic entrance would help startle him into talking.”

Remus hummed sympathetically. “When’d he give you the slip?”

James scowled. “He ran into some girl, and I stopped to help her up. He was gone by the time I looked up again.”

“That’s unusual. He has fantastic reflexes. He should have been able to dodge her.” He paused. “Unless you think he did it on purpose?”

James nodded his head. “Nah, I think it was an accident. He seemed genuinely surprised he hit her. Plus, if he wanted to give me the slip he would have done it another way, something more definite. There was no way he’d know that I would stop and help that girl.”

“Do you think he’s going to come back to the tower tonight?” A hint of concern filtered into Remus’ voice.

James sighed a plopped down on his bed. “I don’t know. Padfoot’s in one of his moods, so there’s no telling what he’ll do, where he’ll go.”

“Well, hopefully he won’t run into Emrys. I doubt he’s going to return tonight after everything that happened. If both him _and_ Sirius are out and about tonight…” Remus trailed off.

“I’m sure it’d be fine. I mean, Padfoot might try to pick a fight, but, as much as I hate to admit it, Emrys doesn’t seem like the violent type. He’d try to avoid a fight.”

Remus shook his head. “Did you see him after tryouts? He was a _hair trigger_ away from beating the shit out of someone. Emrys was visibly _shaking_ with rage.”

James winced. “Fuck. Do you think we should go look for them? Just to make sure they don’t run into each other?”

“I doubt we’d find either one of them. Siri will stay hidden for as long as he wants, and we don’t know Emrys well enough to know where he’d hide out,” Remus said before muttering, “But if you’d have listen to me we might have known.”

“I get it, Moony!” James gumbled.

“I’m just saying that we’ve been really harsh with Emrys. We didn’t even give him a chance.” Remus started to unfold his clothes for tomorrow rather violently.

James sighed. “I know. I know, but… something just feels _off_ about him. And Sirius was so _admit_ about not trusting him. Plus, he’s the freaking Lord Slytherin! Everything just racked up against him, you know?”

Remus stilled suddenly. “You guys knew something was off about me when we first met.”

“Moony, that’s _different_ ,” James tried to convince him.

“No, it’s not. Sure, Emrys might be hiding something, but he probably has a reason for it. And it’s not like we’ve given him a reason to trust us!”

“He can trust us.”

Remus stopped unfolding his clothes and turned to face James, his gold eyes locking onto James’ hazel eyes. “James, when was the last time Emrys even slept in the tower?”

James paused. Wasn’t Emrys sleeping in the tower? Where else would he sleep? “Didn’t he sleep here last night?”

Remus shook his head. “No. nor the night before that or the night before that. James, the last time he slept in the tower was about a week ago and even then he didn’t come in until well past midnight and left around four in the morning.”

“He hasn’t been sleeping in the tower?” James repeated in shock, “He has to come back, though. I mean, all his clothes and books are here, so he’d have to stop by sometime!”

“I don't think so,” Remus said, shaking his head, “When I realized that Emrys wasn't sleeping in the tower anymore, I started watching him and monitoring when he actually comes to the dorms. He can go for days at a time without coming to the tower and still go to his classes in different, clean clothes. I think he smuggled some, if not all, of his things out of the tower.”

“That's impossible. Surely, we would have noticed something,” James said incredulously.

“Well, there is a way you can figure out if he actually moved out of the dorms or not,” a voice squeaked suddenly.

James and Remus blinked before turning to face Peter who had an expectant sort of look on his face. “You look in his trunk.”

There was a moment's pause before James grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, Wormy!”

James quickly scrambled off his bed and headed toward the innocent looking trunk at the foot of Emrys' bed.

“Please tell me you're not _actually_ thinking of breaking into his trunk,” Remus questioned  incredulously, “We were just talking about how Emrys couldn't trust us! This is a prime example of that!”

“Oh, come on, Moony,” James said distractedly as he walked around the trunk, eyeing it curiously, “It's just a trunk; it's not that big of a deal. Anyway, it's not like I'm actually going to look through his stuff. I'm just checking to see if his stuff is still _in_ it.”

Remus shook his head and went back to getting his stuff ready for the next day. “I'm telling you this is going to come back to bite you in the arse. If he's anything like me, he…” Remus trailed off when James yelped as soon as he touched the trunk, “...would have warded it.”

“It shocked me!” James cried in shock before sticking his finger in his mouth, “That bastert shoctet me!”

“I tried to warn you. Nobody likes their privacy invaded.”

James settled on glaring at his friend as he sucked on his finger, trying to ease the pain. Peter, on the other hand, was much more vocal. “You have to admit this is weird, Remus! He's clearly up to something! I mean, who puts a freaking ward on their trunk?!”

“I did!” Remus snapped, “I put a ward on my trunk my first year at Hogwarts. I was scared of what would happen if people found out is I was a werewolf, and I didn't trust anybody. Especially you guys since we were always in such close proximity all the time.”

“So, what? You're saying that Slytherin is a werewolf?” Peter snapped.

Remus threw his hands up. “Maybe! Who knows? I'm just saying there might be a reason for him keeping secrets.”

Peter snorted before muttering, “Yeah, like he's going to kill us all in our sleep.”

Remus growled. “We should give him a chance!”

“He's a Slytherin!”

“Last time I checked, his tie was red and gold!”

“He's _Lord Slytherin_! You can't get much Slytherin than that!”

“Guys! Guys! _Guys!_ ” James physically stepped between them, a hand on each of their chests. “No fighting amongst Marauders! We settle our disputes through civilized ways. By pranking the living daylights out of each other until someone admits defeat,” he joked.  

“Am I interrupting something?”

The three boys froze, their eyes widening, before they slowly turned around. Sirius Black was standing in the middle of the doorway, arms crossed loosely in front of his chest. A half curious, half amused look played across his face, a drastic change from the furious expression he had had on his face when he left the quidditch field. James winced. He had wanted Sirius to be the only wildcard during this confrontation, but now it looked like he had three. There was no way this was going to end well--for anyone.

“Hey, Padfoot!” James said, cursing the fact that his voice seemed higher than usual, “We weren’t expecting you back so soon.”

Sirius’ brows furrowed as he sidestepped the group and flopped down his bed. “You weren’t? Why’s that?”

“Uh…” Remus and James traded confused glances. James leaned over and whispered in Remus’ ear, “Did I just imagine him running off the field in a huffy? ‘Cause I could have _swore_ that it actually happened.”

“No, he ran off,” Remus whispered back, “Maybe he ran into Emrys? Fight gone wrong equals memory loss?”

James shook his head. “Nah, I think Emrys would want blood for the fight on the quidditch field, not memories. Anyway, Pads wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

“I don’t know… You didn’t see him when Lily started flinging her shoes at him last week. He hid under the couch in the commons for two hours, afraid to come out.”

“Can’t say I blame him. Lily’s shoes are dangerous. I hear she enchants them to--”

“You guys know I can hear you from over here, right?” Sirius snapped, before pouting. “And Moony! You promised not to tell anyone about the shoe thing!”

“Oh, Sirius, you should know by now that there’s no honor among thieves,” Remus drawled with a small smirk.

Sirius looked genuinely insulted. “We’re Gryffindors, Moony; of course we have honor! And anyway, we’re Marauders--pranksters-- _not_ thieves.”

“Look it up in the dictionary, Pads. Marauders means bandits, thieves, looters.”

“All joking aside, Siri,” James sighed, once again stepping between his friends even though the two hadn’t moved from their original positions,  “I think we should talk about what exactly went down on the quidditch field today.”

Sirius shrugged at the sudden change of subject. “Well, nothing much happened today. It was just tryouts as usual.”

James eyebrows disappeared in his hairline. “Tryouts as usual?! Padfoot, you almost knocked Emrys off his broom! If a teacher had been out on the field tonight, you would be stuck in a month’s worth of detentions. Hell, they could have forced me to bench you and there would have been nothing I could do about it!”

A scowl played on Sirius’ lips, and he rolled his eyes. “It’s not like they’re going to go easy on him in the games, James. I was just making sure he could _actually_ handle himself when there are more people out on the field than him.”

“That’s not what you were doing, and you know it,” James snapped, “Now, be honest. What the fuck is going on between you and Emrys?”

A snort sounded from behind them. “Isn’t it obvious?” Peter growled, “He’s a freaking Slytherin. Do we actually _need_ a reason to hate his guts?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Remus snarled, “We _do_. He’s a Gryffindor; we should treat him like one-- not like a, a criminal or something!”

“Please, the slimy snake probably bribed his way into the house of the brave,” Peter shot back, “There’s no way that git _actually_ has any courage. I doubt he’d stand a chance in a fight with any of us.”

The two quickly fell into a loud squabble that made James want to put his fingers in his ears to block out the noise. Instead, he ran his hand through his hair and tried to keep his frustration at bay. It didn’t work very well.

“ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH!” James shouted, shocking the two into silence, “This conversation doesn’t revolve around your opinions on Emrys right now; it’s about why Sirius started the anti-Emrys campaign to begin with. That’s all I want to know right now! We can figure out what to do about Emrys _later_. Now sit down, shut up, and I swear to god if one of you so much as glares at the other, somebody’s gonna get their arse kicked!”

His friends looked at him in shock, taking a step away from each other. When they didn’t move back to their respective beds, James bit out, “Do _not_ test me.”

Peter and Remus immediately sat down on their beds.

James took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. This was getting crazier and crazier by the minute. He had assumed Sirius would be the only one to be so unpredictable; he had never expect this strong reaction from Peter and Remus. Sure, they had been dropping hints for the past few weeks about what they thought about Emrys, but he had never expected an all out _argument_ between the two. He supposed he should have expected it, though. After all, the verdict on Emrys had already been decreed on the very first day of school before they even truly met the guy. Sirius had been adamant that Emrys couldn’t be trust, and they had all gone along with him because of it. Marauders always stuck together, always had each other’s backs, of course they would choose Sirius over a stranger! But now, James couldn’t help but wonder if they had made too hasty of a decision.

“Ok,” James said slowly, trying to remain calm, “Here’s what we’re gonna do. First, Sirius is going to explain what exactly happened today on the field, and then he’s going to give his opinion on Emrys. Then me, Remus, and Peter will give our opinions on Emrys. _Nobody can interrupt the person who is speaking._ If we do that, it’ll take us days to get through this. After the person is finished you can asks questions or whatever but only after they are finished! Then when we’re through, we can figure out what we’ll do with Emrys. Does that sound good?”

“I suppose,” Remus mumbled.

“Why do I have to go last? I’m always last!” Peter whined.

“Fine, you can  go after Sirius! It doesn’t matter!” James said, flinging his hands in the air.

“You do realize that the last person to speak affects the audience more than the person in the middle, right? People always remember the first and the last, _not_ the middle. You just screwed yourself out of a good deal,” Remus snarked.

Peter’s face turned red, but before he could do or say anything, James started talking again. “So! Sirius, please explain why you hate Emrys so much.”

Sirius opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out James interrupted him. “And it can’t just be because he has the last name of Slytherin!”  
“Hey, you just interrupted him!” Peter pointed out. “I thought that was against your rules.”

“No, I didn’t. He hadn’t started speaking yet, so technically I didn’t interrupt him,” James said rather smugly. He turned to Sirius. “Now, you can talk.”

“I love it when you get all bossy, Prongs. Makes me all tingly,” Sirius said with a smirk.

James rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. Sirius pouted when he didn’t receive the reaction that he wanted. “What not even a chuckle?”  
James raised an eyebrow and made a point of glancing down at the watch on his wrist.

Sirius growled. “Ugh! Fine!” His voice to a speculative tone. “Hmmmm, let’s see. Reasons I despise the snake... Well, reason number one is that he’s a slimy snake. And we all know that the snakes can’t be trusted! They’re conniving little backstabbers who kick you while you’re down just for the fun of it! I wouldn’t trust him with my hairbrush  much less something of actual importance! I mean, what would happen if he found out about Moony?!”

James opened his mouth to answer but his friend plowed on. “I’ll tell you what would happen! He’d get Remus kicked out of Hogwarts faster than you can say ‘Oh, hell no.’ And I don’t think he’d stop there! You’re a pureblood, Prongs; you know how they are. The fact that there is a werewolf at Hogwarts would be splashed across the papers! Remus would be kicked out, and he would never be able to get the jobs he wants because how freaking biased everyone in this goddamn community is!”

While Sirius continued with his miniature rant, James sent a quick glance at Remus to see how he was reacting to his name being drawn into the discussion. The werewolf looked as if he wasn’t sure if he should be exasperated or pleased that one of the reasons Sirius was against Emrys was in order to protect him.

James blinked when Sirius’ voice became more passionate suddenly.

“Plus, he’s practically stalking Lily!” James twitched. “He’s always around her; he practically never leaves her side! I just know that snake is trying to use her for some nefarious reason! You know how those snakes think: anyone who is not a pureblood is beneath them.”

James clenched his fist, his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand.

“And the way he looks at Peter is just weird. He acts like he’s absolutely _repulsed_ by Peter, like he’s worse than the scum on the bottom of his shoe. Hell, whenever he’s even remotely close to Peter, he looks like he wants to curse him! And those…those are the reasons I don’t think we can trust that snake.”

Sirius trailed off almost uncertainly, but James refused to say anything. He saw a flicker of movement where Peter and Remus were sitting, but they didn’t say anything either, obviously noticing the strange tension in the room. Something about Sirius’ explanation wasn’t sitting right with James. It just…didn’t sound like him. James blinked. _Oh, so that’s what he was doing_.  

“I can’t help but notice, Padfoot, that these are all reasons _we_ shouldn’t trust Emrys, not really reasons why _you_ shouldn’t trust him. Somehow, you managed to hit all our sore spots and still make them sound like yours,” James paused before joking, “Unless, you’ve become a saint without us knowing it.”

“What, I can’t be worried for my friends?” Sirius snapped.

James sighed and sat down beside his friend. “Yes, you can, but you shouldn’t use our problems to hide from us. So, tell us. Why don’t you truly trust Emrys?”

Sirius scrubbed a hand down his face. “I just… I just don’t trust him.”

James rolled his eyes and nudged Sirius with his shoulder. “Come on. You’ve got to give us more than that.”

Sirius sent a stony look at James before slumping. “He just feels… off, you know?”

James snorted recalling his earlier words. “Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I do.”

“He… he just… he…” Sirius trailed off in frustration when he couldn’t find the right words.

“C’mon, Padfoot. Spit it out,” James whispered with a small comforting, smile.

“He reminds me off my family,” Sirius eventually said.

James blinked. He glanced up at Remus and saw a shocked expression that he was sure he was mirroring. A quick look in Peter’s direction had James’ lips thinning, though. Peter was looking at him with a smug look playing across his face. James tore his eyes away from Peter and back to Sirius. “He does? Why?”

Sirius shrugged. “He feels _dark_. And dangerous. Like he shouldn’t be messed with.”

“How can you tell?” Remus asked hesitantly, casting a quick, apologetic glance at James. James’ lips twitched up into a forgiving smile, even though his friend had just broke one of the rules of the conversation. To be honest, he kind of wanted to know the answer himself.

Sirius snorted. “Moony, for the first eleven years of my life, I was surrounded by dangerous people. I just so happened to call them Mum and Dad. I know what dark magic feels like.”

“Told you he was a slimy snake,” Peter grumbled before falling silent when James glared at him.

James eyed him for a few moments before he turned back to Sirius. “Do you know if Emrys has done anything? Should we be worried?”

Remus’ eyes narrowed but James was too focused on Sirius to notice. “Of course we should be worried!” Sirius exclaimed before looking sheepish. “But I’m not sure if he’s used any dark magic here at Hogwarts.”

James nodded, biting back a sigh of aggravation. They needed more than just gut feelings. They needed proof, evidence Emrys was as bad as Sirius claim. Trying to hide his frustration, he plastered on a joking smile. “Got anything else for us, Padfoot?”

Sirius snorted, trying to hide a small smile. “No. No, I’ve said everything I’ve got to say.”

“Good. That’s...um--good,” James stuttered before glancing at his other two friends still sitting on their respective beds, “Ok, who’s next?”

Peter and Remus exchanged glares, each waiting for the other to take the first move. After a few seconds of silence, Remus huffed and opened his mouth to speak, but Peter cut him off before he could. James wasn’t sure if he should feel exasperated by his pettiness or proud that he found the same loophole James had used earlier.

“Well, Sirius just proved my point. Slytherin cannot be trusted! He’s evil, and cruel, and just like all the other snakes we’ve come across over the past few years! Sirius just said that he was using dark magic. Can’t you guys see that we can’t trust him?” Peter asked imploringly.

James nodded slowly before asking, “Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“What else is there to say? Sirius covered it all.”

“Ok, then” James turned to Remus, “Guess it’s your turn, Moony.”

Remus took a deep breath before nodding, a grim look settling over his face. He rubbed his hands together and leaned forward.“So, Sirius, you’re basing all of this on a feeling?”

Sirius looked warily at his friend. “Yes… He feels dark, dangerous.”

“Do you have _any_ proof that Emrys is using dark magic?”

Sirius scowled. “Am I going to have to repeat the entire conversation that I had a few minutes ago? I thought your memory was better than that, Moony.”

Remus held his hands up in surrender. “I was just making sure I had all the facts right, Sirius. I just wanted to be sure.” Remus focused on the boy sitting beside Sirius. “Now, James, I need you to remember something from a while back. I know that’ll be hard for you since you can’t even remember what you had for breakfast, but do try.”

James rolled his eyes at the small smirk playing on Remus’ face. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get on with it, Moony.”

“Back in first year, before we even really knew anything about each other, who was the first one of you three to become suspicious of me?”

“Sirius,” James replied, unsure of where the werewolf was going with this train of thoughts.

“And what made him suspicious? After all, you guys were suspicious of me even before the first full moon.”

James’ eye widened. “Because he said you felt dark…”

Sirius threw his hands up. “Oh, come on, Moony! That was different, and you know it!”

“No, it isn’t!” Remus shot back, “You were wary of me at first because you said I felt dark--that I was dangerous! The same things you are saying about Emrys! You don’t even have any proof that he’s done anything wrong! You’re just basing everything solely on your gut feelings!” Remus leant forward. “The only difference between him and me is the fact that he has the last name of Slytherin. Who would have thought that a werewolf would ever be the lesser of the two evils?”

“He’s keeping secrets, Remus,” Sirius groaned out.

“You’re probably right,” Remus replied calmly, “But everyone keeps secrets, Siri. Even you, even me. And we all feel entitled to our secrets.”

“Are you honestly saying that Slytherin is a werewolf?” Peter asked incredulously.

“I’m saying we’re not giving him a fair chance! We don’t even _know_ the guy and we’ve already past the judgement on him!”

“But we know he’s evil--”

“No, we don’t--”

“He’s dangerous--”

“ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” James shouted, throwing his hands up, “All of you just broke the number one rule of this conversation!”

The three didn’t even glance at James,  instead they sank deeper into their bickering. Slowly the semi-civilized discussions James had started became a screaming match. James growled and tried one more time. “Guys, come on! No fighting!”

The three boys continued to ignore James, causing him to growl. He muttered to himself, “That’s it.”

James shot off a silencing charm at Remus before reaching over, grabbing Sirius’ and Peter’s ears, and _twisted_. James smirked at the high-pitched yelps the two boys emitted. He twisted their ears a little harder, forcing them to their knees. “Are you guys done, now?” James asked calmly.

Immediately, the two Marauders on the ground started agreeing, their words overlapping each other. Remus simply nodded his head energetically.

James hummed to himself. “Are you sure? Do you think you can actually handle a civilized conversation? Because if you’re going to act like children, I’m going to treat you like children.”

Only after they agreed for a second time did James let them go. Sirius and Peter immediately scurried away, both rubbing harshly at their ears.

“Why’d you grab _our_ ears?” Peter whined.

“Yeah, I’m calling favoritism,” Sirius grumbled, “You almost ripped our ears off, but you only sent a silencing charm at Moony? Guess we know who your favorite is.”

James rolled his eyes. “I only have two hands, you know! Plus, Remus was further away, so you two idiots were the ones stuck with the sore ears.”

“Still…” Peter complained.

James rolled his eyes again. “Anyway… Do you guys wanna know what I think of Emrys or do you just want to go back to your bickering?”

The three muttered their agreements as they each went back to their respective beds. James waited until they were all seated and silent before beginning. “I know you’re not going to like what I’m saying, but I think all of you are at least partially right.”

“ _What_?!” The three asked in unison.

“You all have good points! I mean, Remus is right. Emrys may very well have a good reason for keeping secrets and always being so sneaky. We don’t know the guy, and we haven’t even tried to give him a chance.” Remus sent a smug look at a scowling Peter over James' head, but James cut him off with his next sentence. “But Sirius is _also_ right. Emrys is _keeping secrets from us_ , and Sirius says he has a certain darkness about him. That he’s _dangerous_. If this was any other time, any other place, I wouldn't be so quick to judge, but look around, Moony. We're in the middle of a war; nobody can be trusted. Especially those who usually fight for of the opposing side.”

Peter sent a smug look at Remus.

“But with that being said,” James continued, “I still think something has to change.”

Peter snorted. “Yeah, we should stay away from the little creep even more.”

“Actually, I was thinking the opposite.”

Peter and Sirius looked at James as if he had grown another head. Remus, on the other hand, had a pleased look on his face.

“I think we should give him a chance. I’m not saying we should become best mates with him or anything, but I _am_ saying we should try to be nice to him or at least _tolerant_ of him. We know absolutely nothing about him! He could be good, or he could be evil, but I think we should wait until we actually know what his favorite colour is before we decree him as the next dark lord.”

“And what if he _is_ the next dark lord?” Sirius growled.

James smirked. “You know what they say. Keep your friends close…”

“And your enemies closer,” Sirius finished with an almost malicious grin.

“You have to admit we would learn a lot more about him if we tried to be nice to him,” James said.

“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” Remus said speculatively, tilting his head thoughtfully.

“Slytherin sure is as annoying as a fly,” Peter grumbled.

James ignored him. “So, what do you say? We initiate Operation Cobra?”

“Operation Cobra?” Sirius asked, “What the hell is that?”

“You know,” James said uncertainly, “The plan to get close to Emrys? I thought Operation Cobra was a good name since he’s a Slytherin and a cobra’s a snake…”

The group was silent for a moment, before the quiet was interrupted by Remus chuckling. Within minutes, the entire group descended into a fit of giggles. When the giggles eventually faded, James asked again, “So, what do you say? Yes or no to Operation Cobra?”

Tension suddenly filled the room.

“I vote yes,” Remus said eventually.

“Well, I vote no!” Peter argued, “I don’t think we can trust the snake. It’s too dangerous.”

A look of frustration passed over Remus’ face, but James interrupted him before he could do or say anything stupid. “I vote yes. We need to know more about Emrys, and I think this is the only way.”

The three turned toward Sirius. He stared down at the floor, his head resting on his hand. James huffed quietly when he failed to read his friend’s face. It was completely blank, devoid of any and all emotion. The tension seemed to build in the room until, finally, Sirius straightened up. “I vote…” He paused and took a deep breath. “Yes. Which is completely against my better judgement.”

“What?!” Peter cried in shock.

Sirius shrugged. “What can I say? They convinced me. Bastards.”

Remus smiled slightly. “Thanks for giving him a chance, Siri.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Moony. It’s not exactly you I agree with,” Sirius warned, “I agree with James. It’s better to keep your enemies close, where you can keep an eye on them.”

The smile on Remus’ face faded.

James turned his attention back on Sirius. “You do realize, Pads, that you’re going to have to apologize to Emrys. You know that right?”

Sirius face went blank. “No. Not going to happen.”

“You have to, Sirius. I think you pushed him past the breaking point tonight. You’re going to have to apologize to him, if you even want to get _close_ to him.”

“I was doing what was best for the team,” Sirius grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Well, then explain that to him.” He paused before tacking on, “But nicely.”

Sirius glared at his best friend before flopping down on his bed. “Fiiiinnnnnneeeee.”

“Ok…” James said, trying to keep from laughing, “Since we now have a plan of action, I say we all go to bed. We need to be at our best and brightest if we want Operation Cobra to work! Now, chop, chop, everyone! If we go to bed now…” James glanced down at his watch before muttering, “four hours to sleep before breakfast. Just great.”

The boys got ready for bed before they muttered their goodnights. James sighed in relief as he sunk into bed. Today had been so _long_ , but maybe…maybe tomorrow would be better. He had a feeling that everything would turn out okay in the morning. James feel asleep quickly, relishing the warm feeling of hope.

* * *

James growled to himself as he stalked down the halls of Hogwarts. He had wanted to get to the Great Hall early so Emrys wouldn’t be able to sneak in and out before they got there, but _noooo_! Sirius just had to get into an argument with the mirror when it said his hair was looking a little frizzy today! James huffed. The only person he knew who could get into a fight with an inanimate object.

“Hey, wait up, Prongs!” Remus called as jogged up to his friend, leaving Sirius and Peter to linger far behind them.

James slowed his steps, causing Remus to send him a thankful smile. The two were silent for a moment before Remus began to speak, “I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you? For what?”

“Convincing the others to give Emrys a chance.”

James glanced at the werewolf out of the corner of his eye. “You do realize we’re not doing this entirely out of the goodness of our hearts, right? It goes both ways. He could be good, or he could be evil. We don’t know, and we need to fix that.”

Remus shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know. I know. I just wanted to give him a chance. I don’t know what I would do if he was trying to be good, but we never gave him the chance. You guys gave me a chance when no one else would. I just feel like we should do the same for him…”

James sighed and stopped. “Remus, you have to realize that not everybody is good. Some people are evil,” he paused before conceding, “But for what it’s worth, I’m not sure what I would do either.”

Silence descended between the two friends as they walked into the Great Hall, but the loud chatter of students quickly covered it, though. The two sat down in their usual spot and waited for Peter and Sirius to catch up to them. James winced when he noticed that some of the players on the Gryffindor quidditch team were looking at him warily. “Sirius better be working on a freaking good apology,” James grumbled to Remus.

“We’re talking about Sirius here,” Remus whispered back, “His idea of an apology is throwing money at something until it goes away.”

“What are you two talking about?” A voice asked in front of them, causing them to jump.

“Merlin, Padfoot, don’t scare us like that!”

Sirius shrugged. “A guy’s gotta get his kicks somewhere.”

James and Remus rolled their eyes simultaneously. “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.”

Peter bounded over to the table, his face red and shiny. “I curse whatever god gave you such long legs! I mean, seriously, would it kill you to walk slower?!”  
“Just sit down, Wormtail,” James joked, “You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Peter rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips as he did as James had suggested. Soon the group fell into the bantering and joking manner that prevaded through their lives. They laughed, joked, and talked while they ate, ignoring the fact that Remus seemed to scan the room every so often, his eyes never finding what he was searching for until long after they had stopped eating.  He tensed before leaning over slightly to whisper to James, “We have a problem.”

“What are you talking about?” James whispered back, making sure not to attract any attention  from their friends across the table.

Instead of answering, Remus simply nodded towards the door. Curious, James turned to look before he paled dramatically. There, standing in the doorway like they owned the place, was Hadrian Emrys-Slytherin, standing side by side with Regulus Black, Sirius’ little brother. But what had James worried, though, was the way they looked--a look he, himself, was very familiar with. The flushed faces, messy hair, and rumpled clothes all pointed to it. Suddenly, James noticed something that caused his eyes to widen. “Are--are they wearing each other’s clothes?”

Sure enough, the two were. It wasn’t very noticeable since, but if James looked hard enough he could make out the faint red line at the bottom of the jumper Regulus was wearing that signified it as a Gryffindor jumper.

“We can’t let Siri see this.”

Sirius blinked and looked at them curiously, obviously having heard the sentence. “See what?”

Remus and James’ eyes widened. “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Come on, guys. It can’t be that bad,” he said before turning around. He froze when his eyes landed on his brother, every muscle in his body tensing.

After a moment’s pause, Remus and Sirius moved at the exact same time. Just as Sirius shot up from his seat, Remus flung himself across the table, sending plates clattering to the floor, and grabbed onto the back of Sirius’ shirt in order to keep him from moving. James cursed and quickly jumped the table and grabbed Sirius as well. “Come on, Padfoot. We need to get out of here before you do something stupid. Remember Operation Cobra? Don’t do something you can’t come back from.”

“He _slept_ with him!” Sirius ground out as he fought against his friends’ hold.

“I know, but we can’t make a scene here. We need to go,” James tried to convince him.

Peter suddenly appeared by James’ shoulder. “Red alert. Teacher heading this way.”

James growled. “We’re leaving _now_.”

Together, the three of them forced Sirius towards the door, ignoring how he fought against their hold. As they shoved him out of the hall, James could only thank Merlin that Emrys and Black had already moved away towards a table; if they had still been standing in the doorway James didn’t know what he would have done. Sirius almost broke through his hold which pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the problem at hand.  Quickly, the Marauders dragged their fourth member towards their dorm and away from what could turn into a potential homicide-- James just couldn’t figure out who Sirius wanted to kill: his brother for sleeping with someone he was convinced was using dark magic or Emrys for sleeping with his baby brother.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry if there are grammar mistakes and/or seems choppy. I didn't proofread. Don't worry, I plan on doing it tomorrow! Anyway, what did you think of the Marauders? Did I write them ok? This is my first time really venturing away from the one person point of view so I was kinda worried about it. I hope you guys enjoyed it, though! DOn't be afraid to tell me what you think!
> 
> PS There are two tiny references to shows I watch in here. Did you find them?


	19. A Git, a Bitch, and a Mum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape, Bellatrix, and Lily. What a combo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .............I'm alive? I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had computer problems all summer and ended up having to convert this story from google drive to Microsoft BACK to google drive because my internet was working so slow. It was a mess. (Plus random paragraphs would just disappear. *POOF* gone. Tears may have been involved.) I wanted to post this yesterday since it was my birthday and I thought it could be a kind of backwards birthday gift, but i may have fallen asleep on my computer while I was editing it....Oh well, what's one more day. (I may also have a surprise for you at the end of that chapter which I'm using as incentive so that you don't get TOO mad at me for making you wait so long) Anywayyyyyyyyyy, I did finish it, though! I hope you guys enjoy it and son't be afraid to tell me what to think!

An unlikely duo comprised of a Slytherin and Gryffindor walked through the halls of Hogwarts at a leisurely pace. If anyone would have seen them together, they would have been shocked, but since the halls were surprisingly empty for a Saturday morning, the two were allowed to happily chat as they made their way to the Great Hall. When they finally reached the large wooden doors, Harry paused and turned to Regulus.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked, “I doubt there’s very many people in there, but still,” A smile pulled at his lips. “This is Hogwarts so even if we try to keep whatever this is a secret, the whole school will know.”

Regulus arched an eyebrow at him and drawled, “Your point being?”

“What I’m trying to say is I get it if you don’t want to sit with me or even be seen with me. I know Slytherins are usually very careful about the image they portray and a Gryffindor doesn’t exactly fit with that imagine,” Harry said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck harshly, “If you want, you can go first, and I can wait a few minutes before I go in.”

Regulus crossed his arms, looking completely unimpressed. “Now, why would I want to do that?” he said rather harshly, before sighing, “Hadrian, you seem to forget the fact that I chose this. I wouldn’t have told you to call me by my first name if I hadn’t. Whatever comes next, we’ll deal with it together.” A small smirk appeared on his face. “Did you honestly think I’d feed you to the Lions? We Snakes may be vicious but we’re not _cruel_.”

Harry chuckled. “No, I suppose you’re not.” He glanced at the doors. “So, we’re really doing this?”

“Yep!” Regulus said cheerfully, as he began to push open one of the doors. Harry glanced at him in concern. Never in his life would he have thought that the mysterious R.A.B. would be cheerful. Dramatic yes. Cheerful? Not in a million years. Regulus continued speaking, unaware of the thoughts coursing through Harry’s head. “Plus, we’re here early, so we don’t have to deal with---” He cut himself off abruptly before growling, “Oh, I hate you.”

“Wait, what? Why?”

Regulus turned around stiffly. “I thought you said it was early.”

“What are you talking about? Of course we’re early. Last time I checked it was around six o’clock.”

“Well, then explain this,” The Slytherin grumbled as he stepped out of the way and allowed Harry the ability to see into the hall for the first time. Harry’s eyes widened as he peered around the boy. Now he understood why Regulus was frustrated. The hall was packed full of students and teachers alike who were staring at the duo curiously.

“Maybe our conversation went a bit long?”  Harry winced at how his voice sounded an octave higher. He paled suddenly when a thought occurred to him. “Uhm… now might not be a good time but where are we going to sit?”

Regulus leveled a glare at him. “I changed my mind. Can I feed you to the Lions?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Harry said dryly, “Now, where are we gonna sit? If it was empty we could sit wherever we wanted but now…” His eyes drifted to the Gryffindor table, specifically the Marauders, who seemed to be in the middle of a fight. “We definitely can’t sit at the Gryffindor table.”

Regulus snorted. “Like I would ever sit there.” He nervously scanned the hall before sighing. “Just follow my lead, ok?”

Before Harry could respond, the Slytherin started sauntering through the crowd of curious students, not bothering to check if his new friend was following him.  Harry could only watch as he walked to the one table he did not want to sit at. He hesitated only for a moment before following the younger boy. Regulus was the only friend he had right now, and he wasn’t willing to lose that simply because Harry didn’t want to sit with the Slytherins. Besides, he already decided he was going to trust Regulus. He even told the younger boy the story behind one of his scars! He should trust him enough to let him pick what table they were going to sit at for breakfast.

With each step, Harry could feel the stares of curious classmates digging into his back. He could hear the whispers and sometimes even blatantly said comments about the unlikely duo as he passed. Harry ignored them as best as he could. It was fine; he could handle this. He had handled much worse over the past few years. He could handle this.

He surveyed the Slytherin table carefully. They seemed entirely unaffected by the scene Harry was sure they were making. Although some of the younger years were looking at Regulus curiously, the fourth through seventh years were politely conversing with each other as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The only thing that betrayed their interest in the two was the way their eyes seemed to follow the pair.

Regulus stopped suddenly, almost causing Harry to run into him which abruptly drug the Gryffindor from his assessments.

“Hello, Severus,” Regulus said lightly, “Do you mind if we sit here?”

The seventh year looked at them appraisingly from under a curtain of hair. “You’re always welcome to sit with me, Regulus,” Snape carefully said, “But what of your Gryffindor?”

Harry stiffened and opened his mouth to snap that _nobody_ owned him, but Regulus stamped on his foot and replied, “I was hoping he could sit here as well.”

Snape sneered. “I thought you knew better than to associate with those simple-minded hypocrites?”

“I do,” Regulus snapped, “But Hadrian is not one of them.”

“He’s a Gryffindor. How can he not be?”

“He’s more of a Slytherin than most of the people in this house,” Regulus argued adamantly before his eyes narrowed, “Might I add that you had your own Gryffindor at one time. I accepted her when no one else in this house would, even though I didn’t exactly agree with your….friendship. Why don’t you return the favor, Severus?”

Snape’s eyes narrowed before he spat out, “Sit down, Black.”

“Only if Hadrian can as well.”

“You’re making a scene, Black.”

“I don’t care. I’ll be able to handle the scandal,” his tone suddenly turned dark, “Will you?”

Snape snarled, “ _Fine_!” Several Slytherins looked down the table at the loud exclamation. Snape immediately cleared his face of any emotion and said quietly, “You and your pet

_Gryffindor_ can sit down.”

Regulus immediately smiled brightly and sat down, dragging Harry with him. “Thanks, Severus! You won’t regret this!”

“I already do,” he grumbled before snapping, “Try to compose yourself, Black. You’re acting like a Hufflepuff.” Snape sneered at Harry. “I see the Gryffindor has already contaminated you.”

The smile was gone as soon as it appeared and replaced with a cold scowl. “If I’m _contaminated_ what does that make you? After all you were in--” Snape sent the younger Slytherin a dark look that Harry immediately recognized. That look always promised pain and humiliation when it was leveled at him during his previous six years at Hogwarts. “Fatuated with a Gryffindor. Merlin, Severus, lighten up.”

Snape smiled a cruel smile. “With each passing day you act more and more like your brother.” The smile dropped off his face. “That’ll get you in trouble one day.”  
Regulus snarled. “ _And one of these days, you’ll learn to hold your tongue--_ ”

“Ok!” Harry cut in before Regulus said something that Harry would object to. “Do you guys always talk to each other this way?”

“Stay out of this, Emrys!” Snape snapped, “This conversation doesn’t include you!”

Regulus’ eyes burned with a fire, and he said passionately, “He’s my friend, and I say he’s a part of this conversation! You have no right to speak like that to him!”

“I’ll speak to him however I like, Black!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Harry growled, “You’re acting like a pair of Gryffindors!”

The two Slytherins’ jaws snapped shut immediately and they turned to stare at Harry. “Yeah, that’s right. I said it! You’re acting just like those Marauders over there; the only difference is that you’re not throwing punches!”

“He’s right, cousin. Imagine what your mother would say if she saw you yelling and snarling like an animal,” A simpering voice said from behind the trio.

Harry froze and slowly closed his eyes. This could not be happening. Not after everything from this morning. It just wasn’t _fair_! First, he was forced to deal with her in his thoughts this morning and now he had to deal with her in _person_?!

“Hello, Bellatrix,” Regulus said tightly.

Kali curled around his wrist, her claws digging into his skin in an attempt to distract him from distant memories.

“May I ask why we have been graced with your presence?” Snape asked drily. Harry’s lips twitched upwards slightly. He could always count on Snape to be willing to snark at someone. He was always an equal opportunist; it didn’t matter if it was friend or foe.

Harry heard the bitch laugh airly behind him, but he refused to turn around. If he acknowledged her existence than that would mean she was actually there and not a hallucination.

A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eyes. A dainty hand came to rest gently on Regulus’ shoulder. Harry quickly averted his eyes intent on avoiding any sight of the woman who had made his teenage years hell. He didn’t see the way the younger Slytherin had tensed at the contact.

As much as he tried to will her not to, Bellatrix started speaking once again. “Well, I just came to see what all the commotion was about. After all, it’s not every day when someone from the Slytherin table causes this much… _excitement_ ,” She rolled the word in her mouth as if it was a nasty thing, before asking in a bright tone, “So, cousin, who is your new acquaintance?”

“Surely, you remember him, Black?” Snape drawled, “After all, you claimed we could expect ‘great things’ from him. Remember?”

Bellatrix was silent for a moment, but Harry refused to turn and look at her. “Things certainly have been… interesting since he was sorted.”

“He’s sitting _right here_ ,” Regulus snapped, “Don’t act like he isn’t!”

Harry blinked and turned to face his new friend. What surprised Harry was the clear look of concern that was on his face and the fact that he wasn’t trying to hide it. A smile twitched on his lips.

“Yeah, Bella,” Harry found himself saying as he turned around to face her, “Shouldn't you be worried what your mother would think if you? After all, you're the one who has been ignoring the new lord at Hogwarts. I came here hoping to experience this fine school my ancestor helped create and maybe even make a few connections with some of the students, but instead I found myself shunned by the very House Salazar Slytherin founded.” Harry looked the witch square in the eyes. “If it hadn’t been for Regulus here, I would have been extremely disappointed.”

Harry heard Snape choke on his drink.

Bellatrix’s face was a pasty white, making her almost black eyes stand out against the rest of her face. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing off her brilliant white teeth and bright red gums. She hissed dangerously, “There is only one true Lord Slytherin.”

A carefully made mask devoid of any emotion slipped onto Harry’s face. This was what he was used to. The madness gleaming in her eyes was almost preferable to sophisticated lady he first met. At least he was familiar with this woman. A smirk threatened to slip through his mask. He had known she wouldn’t be able to hide the madness forever.

“And he is sitting right in front of you,” Harry said lightly, “In the eyes of the Wizengamot, I am the true Lord Slytherin. Anyone else who may claim that he is shouldn’t be trusted. If he’s lying about his lordship what else could he be lying about?”

A series of emotions flickered across Bellatrix’s face before they were replaced with a deceptively calm look. But Harry wasn’t focused on her face. He was focused on her hand. It was curled into a claw, her long nails piercing into his friend’s shoulder, but Regulus looked completely unaffected by it. Harry narrowed his eyes. He knew from experience her nails were painful and she had an extremely hard grip; there was no way that the boy was completely unaffected.

“I suggest you remove your hand, Miss Black,” Harry said stiffly, “There are consequences for hurting your own blood.”

_Yeah_ , Harry couldn’t help but think, _And I’ll be the one dishing them out if you don’t get your fucking hands off him._

Bellatrix stilled and glanced down at her hand, frowning. Had she not known what she had been doing? She uncurled her hand and simply patted Regulus’ shoulder. She sent a scathing look at Harry, though. “I would never hurt my family!”

Harry looked at her blankly. “Then what were you doing just now?”

“I wasn’t hurting him. I simply have a strong grip.” Bellatrix sneered, “Is that your actual problem with me? You don’t like strong women?”

“I don’t have a problem with strong women. I was raised to respect them.” Well. Sort of. Petunia had detested women with any kind of drive or passion almost as much as she hated him, so Harry took that to mean he should respect them above all others. If Petunia hated them they couldn’t be bad. “But I do have a problem with people who hurt others for no other reason than because they can.”

Bellatrix sneered and opened her mouth for what Harry was sure would be a scathing reply but Regulus cut her off. “I’m fine, Hadrian. Really.” Harry narrowed his eyes. His friend’s voice sounded strange. It wasn’t exactly monotone but it was…empty. “She may have a strong grip, but it didn’t hurt. It runs in the family.”

Harry stilled, and he felt rather then saw Snape do the same. They both knew what that meant. Bellatrix, on the other hand, looked victorious. She sneered down at Harry, but he was too busy gazing at his new friend in concern to notice. She huffed. “Now, if you’re finished accusing me of wanting to harm my family, I think I’ll be going.” Bellatrix turned on her heels and took two steps before pausing. “Oh, and Regulus,” She called over her shoulder, “I suggest you tread lightly and don’t do anything to embarrass the House of Black.”

As she walked away, quiet whispers traveled down the Slytherin table, chasing away the silence that the trio hadn’t noticed during their conversation with Bellatrix. Slytherins glanced at them speculatively, curious about the new arrival and Bellatrix’s unexpected show of rage. Snape sneered at the closest surrounding students which happened to be some unfortunate third year students. Harry fought a smile when he saw how their eyes widened in barely concealed fear and immediately whirled around. No matter how old Snape was he could always put the fear of god into the students of Hogwarts.

Harry turned his eyes back towards Regulus. The boy was spreading a thin layer of butter on his toast completely oblivious to his friends’ concern. Harry sighed and said, “Runs in the family, huh?”

Regulus didn’t even look up. “Yes, all Blacks have a very firm grip. Makes handshakes very dangerous. Practically turns into a competition,” he said drily.

“Yes,” Snape drawled, “Handshakes are what’s dangerous.”

“Hey, don’t try to twist this conversation back on me!” Regulus waved the butter knife at Snape. “We weren’t able to finish our previous conversation before we were interrupted.”

“You call that a conversation?” The Gryffindor muttered.

The Slytherins ignored him. Snape rolled his eyes. “Yes, because that was going so well.”

“Well, it would have been if you had just stopped being an arse.”

“It would have been if you stopped insulting the one friend you’ve had for the past five years,” Snape snapped back.

“Or maybe you could just talk like civilized human beings,” Harry grumbled into his cup, his eyes bouncing from Slytherin to Slytherin as if he was watching a tennis match.

Regulus evidently didn’t hear him since he glared at Snape. “I have other friends!”

Snape quirked an eyebrow at the younger boy. “Really? Name five.”

Regulus spluttered before saying indignantly, “I am _not_ going to start listing off my friends just to satisfy your curiosity!”

Snape rolled his eyes. “This isn’t about my curiosity; this is about finding out if you have any other friends besides me. Which, I can say, is highly doubtful since you are adamantly refusing to even give me _one_ name.”

“Hadrian’s my friend!” Regulus cried, looking extremely smug.

“Your pet doesn’t count.”

“Does too!” Regulus whined at the same time Harry barked, “Oi! Quit calling me a pet!”

Snape ignored Harry, focusing entirely on the other Slytherin. “No, he does not because just yesterday you were complaining about the fact that you were stuck in the same Arithmancy class as him and, I quote, ‘forced to breathe the same air as the future Marauder.’”

Harry slowly turned to face the younger boy, a questioning look on his face. Regulus flushed a pale pink. “What? I’m positive I didn’t say that,” he quickly denied before turning to Harry and trying to reassure him. “I would _never_ say that.”

“My pensieve would disagree,” Snape stated, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

Regulus paled. “Well-well-well, that was back before I actually knew Hadrian! I obviously don’t think that _now_!”

“Yes, you two are obviously besties after spending less than twelve hours together,” Snape drawled sarcastically, “You probably told each other your deepest darkest secrets as you braided each other’s hair last night as well.”

Harry forced himself to remain still and not wince at the wording. They may not have braided each other’s hair, but the conversation had become rather...revealing both last night and this morning. Both of them had revealed probably more than they should have.

Regulus stilled beside him, a serious look on his face. Harry tensed slightly and closed his eyes. _Please, don’t let him say anything. Please, don’t let him say anything._

“Although it is _none_ of your business, we actually did have some serious conversations last night.”

_He fucking said something._

Harry awkwardly tried to ignore what was going on around him and instead forced himself to focus entirely on swirling his food around his plate.

Snape stilled at the words and eyed the two carefully, a speculative look on his face. “I see,” he said eventually before turning back to his food.

The rest of the meal was spent with an awkward silence hanging in the air around the three students. Regulus was sulking due to Snape’s quick dismissal of Harry, Snape was refusing to talk to either of them, and for the first time in a long time, Harry felt distinctly uncomfortable. Unsure if he should say anything or not, he picked at his food and tried not to make eye contact with anybody.

The stifling silence amplified everything else in the Great Hall. The stares from the other students were digging into his back. Snippets of gossip about the trio seemed to echo in his ears. Everything was grating on his nerves. The courage and energy he had felt earlier this morning after telling Regulus the story of one of his scars had faded very after leaving the Room of Requirement. Now, his emotions were about as jumbled as the noise echoing throughout the Great Hall. Harry glanced at the two Slytherins. Were they feeling as awkward as he was? If they were they certainly weren't showing it. They were off in there own little worlds, leaving Harry to suffer through the silence surrounding them alone.

Eventually, Regulus sighed and moved. Harry’s head shot up, relief evident in his eyes.

“Well, we’re going to go now,” Regulus grumbled, sending a glare at Snape, “I would say it was a pleasant breakfast, but it really, really wasn't.”

Snaps looked nonplussed, and he grabbed his bag. “I'll walk out with you.”

Before either of them could say anything, the Slytherin stood up and walked out the large wooden doors. Harry rolled his eyes, assuming this was just another time when Snape decided to be dramatic, but Regulus was looking after the other boy with a strange look on his face.

“Come on, let's see what he wants,” Regulus grumbled before storming after him. Harry followed after the two boys at a much slower base in an attempt to dissuade some of the whispers caused by the two Slytherins practically fleeing the hall.

As soon as Harry stepped through the doors something was thrust into his face. He blinked several times and stumbled back. His eyes went crossed as he tried to focus on the muddy green potion bottle centimeters away from his nose.

“Put this on that cut of yours every morning and night until it’s healed. Use it sparingly. This is all you’ll get from me.”

Harry reached out and hesitantly plucked the bottle out of Snape’s hand. “Uh… thank you?”

Snape rolled his eyes. “That potion doesn’t react badly with anything else, so you can use it with whatever you want.” He glared at the Gryffindor. “But I wouldn’t go chugging multiple pain relievers if I were you.

“And you!” The Slytherin whirled around suddenly, his robes flaring out behind him. Regulus jumped slightly, the confusion on his face morphing into a startled look. Snape waved an accusing finger at the younger boy.

“I don’t know what you two got up to last night, and I don’t want to know. Whatever happened between you guys to turn you from hating each other to,” He waved his hand vaguely. “ _This_ is none of my business. But you two should be prepared because you’re going to make enemies. Lots. From everyone in this school. It won’t just be the Gryffindors or the Slytherins that try to make your world hell. It’s going to be everyone.”

The seriousness of the situation seemed to settle around Regulus and Harry. Snape was right. They were about to attempt the impossible: a friendship between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. If they were anyone else the outfall wouldn’t be so bad, but they were too well known, or rather, unknown in Harry’s case. The whole school would pass judgement on the Gryffindor Lord Slytherin and the youngest Black.

“Thank you,” Regulus said quietly, “I appreciate your concern.”

Snape snorted. “Please. I’m just making sure you don’t drag me down with you.”

Harry huffed out a laugh. That sounded more like the potion’s master he knew.

Snape spun on his heels and began to stroll away, before calling over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner of the hallway, “And switch your shirts! I refuse to be friends with somebody who thinks it’s appropriate to wear someone else’s clothing.”

Harry furrowed his brows in confusion and glanced over at Regulus who was staring at the Gryffindor in horror. A low, desolate moan rumbled in his throat.

“What?” Harry asked in bewilderment. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How could we be so stupid?” Regulus wailed dramatically.

“ _What?_ ”

“ _We’re wearing each other’s shirts, idiot!_ ”

Harry blinked in shock before glancing down at his shirt. Sure enough, a thin green band circled the bottom of the shirt. “Oh.”

“ _Oh?!_ ” Regulus repeated incredulously, “That’s all you got to say? _Oh?!_ ”

Harry shrugged. “It could have been worse. We were both really out of it this morning with you being semi-drugged and me being hungover.”

“ _Could have been--_ wait, semi-drugged?”

“Yeah…” Harry said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I may or may not  have given you and extra strong anti-hangover potion…”

The Slytherin’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but just as he opened his mouth to give what Harry assumed would be a scathing rebuke, a red streak barreled through the doors of the Great Hall.

“ _Hadri-_ ” The streak cut itself off with a help as it barreled into Harry’s chest. Harry grunted in pain, his still healing ribs protesting against whatever was digging into them. Pushing the other person away gently but firmly, he was finally able to tell who ran into him. “Lily?”

Lily looked up, her green eyes wide with surprise. “Oh! Hadrian!”

“Yes….?” Harry drew out the word uncertainty.

She shook her head suddenly, the red curls surrounding her face bouncing violently. “Sorry, I-- I wanted to talk to you-- But the you were _gone_ and I thought--” Lily cut herself off and took a deep breath. “Can we talk?”

Harry rocked back on his heels, trying to process all of the words that had been thrown at him so suddenly. “…Sure.”

Regulus glanced between the two Gryffindors before asking Harry, “Do you want me to stay?”

He immediately shook his head. “No, you don’t have to stay. We’ll be fine. You should go do homework or something.”

Regulus looked hesitant but nodded his assent anyway. “I’ll be in the library if you need me.”

The two Gryffindors stood awkwardly in the hallway as the younger boy walked away.

“So,” Harry said nervously as he scuffed his shoe against the floor. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah, um, let’s go somewhere less,” Lily waved her hand at the large wooden doors. “ _Public._ ”

  Harry smiled nervously. _Great_ , he thought to himself, _no witnesses. Just perfect._ Instead of voicing his thoughts, he forced himself to reply with a pleasant “Of course.”

   Harry lost himself in his thoughts as Lily started to lead him through the halls of Hogwarts. He had no lue what she wanted to talk to him about. She had been avoiding him for weeks, but now she was suddenly so desperate to talk to him that she ran out of the Great Hall in search of him. Hopefully, this conversation wouldn’t end up as an argument. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle that. Not after yesterday.

Lily suddenly ducked into an empty classroom and closed the door behind them. Harry eyed his mother carefully. There was only one exit in the room, and she was blocking it. Maybe he should have asked Regulus to say.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Or maybe not.

“What?” Harry asked in confusion. He could have sworn this conversation had been about to go a completely different route.

Lily crossed her arms in front of her stomach and looked down at the ground despondently. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I overreacted. The whole situation was stupid to begin with. Honestly,” she scoffed at herself, “Being mad and suspicious when somebody knows your sister’s name? It’s ridiculous! I--I just--I--”

“Hey,” Harry said softly, “It’s ok. Honestly, you had a right to be suspicious. Especially in these times.”

“No, it was stupid. I was stupid. I only said what I said because I--because I,” Lily sighed and rubbed her face, “I really wasn’t handling the Dementor thing very well and I took it out on everyone around me. All of my negative emotions seemed to be heightened. I swear I was only running on confusion and anger for a week after the event. The Dementor attack….hurt something inside of me and I wanted everyone else around me to hurt too. I’m sorry.”

Harry nodded sympathetically. He knew exactly what she meant.

“I spent all of last week trying to figure out how to apologize to you,” She informed him before wincing, “Actually I spent most of last week debating whether or not I should apologize or if I would be able to just bounce back into your life and ignore the entire thing. I eventually forced myself to admit that an apology _was_ necessary but then I couldn’t find you! I searched and searched and _searched_ before I finally gave up and went to watch Alice try out for the Quidditch team. And what do you know, I find you there! I was going to apologize to you afterwards but then-- oh, Hadrian are you _ok_ ? Those tryouts were _horrible_ and then you just ran off the field and….” she trailed off uncertainly before saying quietly, “I know I have no right after the way I’ve treated you, but I was really worried about you.”

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure what to say. “I’m… ok,” he said eventually. Not quite the truth but at least it wasn’t a blatant lie. “Could be better.”

 

“Is there anything I can do,” Lily asked desperately, “To make up for being such a bitch lately? I feel horrible about it and then on top of it all, you spent all last night being tortured by those _Marauders_. It just put everything into perspective, you know? I was acting just like they would in this the situation.” She looked down despondently. “ I'm no better than a cruel bully  who just wants to hurt people.”

Harry immediately stepped forward and comfortingly ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to ignore the fact that the potion Snape had given him was still tucked in his hand. “Don’t think like that. You are _not_ a bully, Lily. You’re a sweet girl who was just struggling with a tough situation. So what, you got angry and snapped at a few people. It happens to the best of us.”

Lily sniffed. “I still feel like a total bitch.”

“That’s good--”

“Good?!”

“Yes, good, because that means you truly are sorry that you snapped at other people,” Harry said impatiently. “As long as you don’t take it overboard, a little guilt can be good for you.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Lily replied with a weak smile. She moved her arm too push her hair out of her face, causing Harry to quickly pull back his hands. Lily frowned. “What _is_ that in your hand? It was digging into my arm.”

“Oh, this?” Harry flashed the green potion bottle carefully position between his forefinger and thumb at her. “It’s a potion Snape gave me for my cut. I think the guy took pity on me.”

Surprise flickered across her face. “Severus gave that-- wait, what cut?”

“The one on my head.”

“ _What_ cut on your--” She repeated incredulously before her eyes widened. In two steps, Lily had crossed the distance between them and pushed back his hair. “Merlin, I didn’t realize your curls were covering it! Does it hurt? It looks deep. Why haven’t you gone to Madame Pomfrey? She could probably heal this in under a second. Wait, did you not go to the hospital wing last night?” She slapped his arm. “Do you have any idea how far up you fell from?! You’re lucky you didn’t break a bone! You _need_ to go to the hospital wing! You could have a concussion or, Merlin, you could have internal bleeding--”

“Have you always rambled this much?”

Lily blushed. “Only when I’m stressed. But don’t think this will distract me, mister!” She said passionately, wagging a finger at him. “You’re still going to the hospital wing.”

A small smile played on Harry’s lips. He could imagine her saying that to him when he was little in another life. It was just such a motherly thing to say. His smile faltered, though, and the feeling dampened with this next thought. “No, I just- I never knew you rambled.”

 Her eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?” Harry asked as he pasted on a smile.

“No.”

“Well, that’s disappointing.”

“Only for you.” Lily grabbed his wrist and yanked him towards the door. “Now, come on! We have a nurse to see!”

Harry dug his feet into the floor, refusing to be moved. The humor in this situation was quickly disappearing. “No, m-Lily, I don’t need to go the the hospital wing.”

“Yes, you do!”

“No, I don’t-”

“Yes-”

“No-”

“ _Listen to me!_ ” Lily whirled around, slamming her hand into his chest, her forefinger pointing up towards his face. She banged it into his chest, emphasizing every word. “You need to go to the hospital wing! You could be seriously hurt--”

“ _Lily, stop!_ ” Harry growled as he forcefully shoved her back. She stumbled back a few steps before she was able to catch her balance and look up at him with a hurt expression. He couldn’t really bring himself to care, though. She had been slamming her hand into a particularly nasty bruise, and _it fucking hurt._ He clenched his fist in an attempt to keep himself from rubbing at hiss sore chest. If he did, she would figure it out.

“I am _fine_ ,” Harry snapped,” I am not _going_ to the hospital wing; I do not _need_ to.”

“But-”

“ _No, buts!_ I’m fine, ok! I don’t need to go to the hospital wing!” He sighed before saying quietly, “Just drop it, ok? You owe me _that_ , at least.”

Lily flinched slightly. “Yeah. Sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed. It’s none of my business.”

“Thanks, Lil,” Harry smiled weakly before offering, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

The tension in his mother’s shoulders eased and she smiled back. “Yeah, of course.”

Harry’s smile became real and he nodded. Calling out a goodbye over his shoulder, Harry hurried to escape the room. He needed to get back to the Room of Requirement in order to check out the damage his mother had inadvertently caused to his chest. As soon as he crossed the threshold of the unused classroom, he rubbed his chest in an attempt to relieve the pain, not realizing that the door hadn’t closed behind him all the way.

Lily’s eyes narrowed as she watched the other boys retreating form. Hadrian may not think there was anything she should do, but obviously something needed to be done. He was hurt, and she was partially at fault for that but at least she had only hurt their friendship. The Marauders on the other hand…

Lily nodded to herself, her mind made up. Yes, she needed to have a few words with Potter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo, what did you think? I'm sorry if it's choppy, converting the chapter so many times really put it through the ringer. But the next chapter is going to be from Lily's point of view (and probably Marauders)! I'm excited for it! (also hoping it goes better than this chapter. fingers crossed) Anyway, there was a lot going on in this chapter. Lots of different people, LOTS of conversation. You know, for as much as I hate writing dialogue I sure do write a lot of it... Don't be afraid to tell me what to think and even if I'm currently struggling with the whole replying thing at the moment I do promise that I read all of them and that I take them into consideration. Thanks for reading!
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> (Also, do you guys have any college tips? I know it has absolutely nothing to do with the story but I've just started and it kinda feels like the only things I do are go to classes or stay in my room. Any advice would be appreciated! If not just ignore this whole thing. Sorry about that.)


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